New business tool for RAC technicians

The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has partnered with Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to produce a brochure that promotes the value of always using a licensed RAC technician.

As well as raising awareness of the industry, it is intended to help improve recovery rates from residential systems at end of life. According to an RRA report published last year, the amount of refrigerant recovered per year is about 500 tonnes short of what it should be, based on the number of split systems imported into Australia. This could equate to more than a million tonnes of CO₂e being needlessly emitted annually.

One of the barriers for recovery is price. If an installer charges for the time spent recovering refrigerant from an old system, they will very likely lose out to someone who doesn’t.

“We all know how difficult it can be for a licensed technician to compete on price with someone who may be cutting corners, not recovering used refrigerants, and trimming the price accordingly,” says ARC CEO Glenn Evans.

“To help redress that balance, fridgies can attach this brochure to their quotes to explain that only ARCtick licensed technicians safely and legally recover gases from fridges, air conditioners and heat pumps.”

The brochure was previewed at the recent ARBS 2022 trade exhibition, and is now available as a free download from the ARC and RRA websites for licensed technicians to include with their digital quotes.

“Instead of having to explain it themselves, technicians have ARC, RRA and the Australian government telling their customers why it’s so important,” says Evans.

“The message to consumers is clear: be lawful, be safe and be part of the refrigerant transformation – it’s the right thing for you and the environment.”

The brochure can be downloaded in digital A4 pdf format, for easy attachment to a digital quote, from the ARC website.