Scope and history

The  European F Gas Regulation encourages wider adoption of alternatives to high GWP HFC refrigerants. Industry groups are joining together to help provide information on the safe use of alternatives such as ammonia, hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide and low flammables though the REAL Alternatives 4 LIFE learning programme.    Resources developed as part of the project offer innovative blended learning - a mix of e-learning, face-to-face training materials, practical exercises, assessments and an e-library of learning resources - the programme has brought together industry knowledge and expertise from across Europe about alternative refrigerants.

REAL Alternatives 4 LIFE has built on the successful REAL Skills Europe & REAL Zero containment approaches. (Refrigerants, Emissions And Leakage - Zero). It was prepared by a consortium of Partners from across Europe, co-funded by the EU, included training and professional institutes as well as employer representative bodies.  

Industry stakeholders drawn from employers, manufacturers, trade associations and professional institutes have contributed learning material, advised on content, helped to pilot and to promote the programme as it developed.  

The free multi-lingual learning materials are available for individual development or use as classroom training materials. They include e-learning content, electronic tools, a comprehensive library gathered from existing resources.  The e-library contains over 100 useful industry resources.

 

How you can access the materials

Sign up for our e-learning programme

Register on the website to download learning materials

View or add to our e-library of useful information from industry

 

REAL Alternatives project consortium

Project Partners

The REAL Alternatives project is led by six partners who include training and professional institutes as well as employer representative bodies.  All partners in the REAL Alternatives consortium contribute to each aspect of the programme with the following key areas of responsibility:

• Clarifying alternative refrigerant training needs and opportunities in Europe - London South Bank University, UK
• Developing a specification for the e-learning and reviewing resources currently available in Europe to support learning, London South Bank University, UK
• Developing e-learning process, integrating practical learning materials, resources and translation, Limburg Catholic University College (UCLL), Belgium
• Piloting and testing of materials with live audiences in five languages (English, Italian, German, Polish and Flemish) Associazione Tecnici del Freddo (ATF), Italy
• Monitoring the impact of the project and evaluating success, IKKE training centre Duisburg, Germany.
• Publicity, promotion, and stakeholder engagement, Association of European Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Contractors (AREA) & Institute of Refrigeration, UK
• Project Management, Institute of Refrigeration 
• Identifying opportunities for long term sustainability of outputs, PROZON recycling programme, Poland. 

 

National Lead Partners

If you are interested in delivering REAL Alternatives 4 LIFE training in your country please contact your National Lead organisation below:

Belgium - UCLL, Walter Reulens UC Leuven-Limburg www.ucll.be.

Netherlands - AERES, Roelof Robbertsen, https://www.aeres.nl/

Croatia - HRKT – Croatian Refrigeration air conditioning & heat pump assoc, Tonko Curko http://www.hurkt.hr/

Czech Republic - SCHKT – Czech RAC Technical Group, Stepan Stojanov https://www.chlazeni.cz/o-schkt/info-in-english  

Finland - SYKE, Pirke Suoheimo www.syke.fi  www.ymparisto.fi

Germany - IKKE, Karsten Beermann www.i-k-k-e.com

Italy - ATF, Marco Buoni www.associazioneATF.org

Poland - PROZON,Krzysztof Grzegorczyk  www.prozon.org.pl

Portugal -APIRAC Portuguese Association for RAC Industry, Nuno Roque,  http://www.apirac.pt

Romania - AGFR – Romania General Association of Refrigeration, Gratielela Tarlea http://www.agfro.ro/

Slovakia - SZCHKT Slovakian RAC Technical Group, Peter Tomlein https://www.szchkt.org/a/front_page/slovakia

Spain -CNI National Confederation of RAC Installers, Blanca Gomez http://www.cni-instaladores.com/cniweb/index.htm

Turkey - SOSIAD Turkish refrigeration and air conditioning, Kadir Isa https://www.sosiad.org.tr/en/

UK - IOR, Raluca Sisiu  www.ior.org.uk 

Greece - HELLAS Union Thanos Biris , www.hufgas.gr 

Cyprus - University of Nicosia, Maria Kone, www.unic.ac.cy

Estonia- Estonian Environmental Research Centre, Stanislav Stokov, http://www.klab.ee 

New Zealand - Refrigerant License New Zealand, Christine Johnston, https://www.rlnz.org.nz/

Armenia - Educational Fund of Shirakatsy Lyceum, Gagik Torchyan, https://shirakatsy.am/en/

The project welcomes additional national leads who would like to promote the learning resources in their country, translate materials into an additional language and work with training providers to deliver assessment and certification courses based on REAL Alternatives.  Contact us here to find out more.

 

Stakeholders and supporters

A wide variety of stakeholders representing all partner countries as well as EU and International agencies have contributed to this project.  Stakeholders have shared resources, commenting and piloting draft materials, and disseminating information about the programme. Please contact us if you wish to become a REAL Alternatives 4 LIFE stakeholder.

 

 

We are proud to have among our supporters the European Commission DG Clima & UNEP Ozone Action as well as the following supporters:

 

The Real Alternative 4 LIFE project adheres to a Green Procurement Policy and you can see more details here.               

This project was funded with support from the European Commission. This website and materials included therein reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.