GIZ Proklima in collaboration with the National Ozone Unit, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) Government of India, organised weeklong Training of Trainers (TOT) on “Good service practices and installation of room air conditioners with HCFC-22 and flammable refrigerants”. The TOT was conducted for master trainers/instructors of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) skills trade at (Government) Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Pusa, New Delhi, from Monday, 21st October 2024 to Friday, 25th October 2024. The event was attended by 24 RAC master trainers from government industrial training institutes across Delhi region.
The Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) servicing sector contributes to a large extent to the consumption of HydroChloroFluroCarbons (HCFCs), in particular in the room air-conditioner segment. To ensure a sustainable phase-out of these substances, it is essential to focus on upskilling RAC servicing sector. This includes mitigating the risk of reverse conversions and equipping technicians with proper servicing practices to reduce consumption and prevent refrigerant leaks into the environment.
Quote from a participant
“The Room Air Conditioner Market in India was recorded at 8.58 million units in Financial Year 2023 and is likely to reach 18.66 million units in Financial Year 2031 growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.74% .While some of the old AC’s are collected by government and private institutions, refrigerants are vented out in most cases by unskilled technicians on-site. GIZ Proklima’s skills trainings to institutions and technicians provide useful latest relevant theory and practical trainings on better servicing practices of room ACs to prevent refrigerant leaks during servicing and safe handling of flammable refrigerants"
Since 2012, GIZ Proklima has been actively working with the Indian RAC service sector to train technicians and institutions in RAC skills trade, as part of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbon Phase-out Management Plans I, II, and III (HPMPs) under the Montreal Protocol. Towards this, as part of ongoing activities of HPMP Stage II, GIZ Proklima India organised a five-days training of trainers (ToT) programme from 21st October to 25th October 2024 for RAC skills trade trainers/ instructors of Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Delhi. 24 RAC skills trade trainers from 12 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) from Delhi attended the training. The primary goal of this ToT initiative is to empower faculty members at training institutes across India, enabling them to conduct effective technician training programs. The training covers theory and hands-on on essential topics related to refrigerant leak prevention, including best service practices, handling alternative refrigerants, and techniques for recovery, recycling, reclamation, and reuse of HCFCs.
Quote from a participant
"While RAC trade training is imparted in Government Industrial Training Institute, Pusa; the training provided by GIZ Proklima on good services practices acted as refresher to our existing knowledge and understanding on the relevance of better servicing practices, upskilling mechanisms in RAC servicing trade and handling flammable alternate refrigerants upcoming in the market. This would be useful add on in our academic curriculum” says the staff who were trained.