Carbone 4 Study: Analysis of an HFC Tax on Heat Pumps and Thermodynamic Water Heaters

As Parliament considers a tax on HFCs (HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, are gases primarily used as refrigerants), Carbone 4 provides an overview of the sector’s emissions breakdown and the policies already in place. In this study, we assessed and analyzed the comparative carbon footprint of heat pumps and gas boilers across various case studies, as well as the impact of a tax on household costs. Carbone 4’s research helps answer the following questions: What are the emissions from refrigerants in France? What is the life-cycle carbon footprint of heat pumps compared to gas-based alternatives? What would be the impact on households of an HFC tax on thermodynamic equipment used for heating and domestic hot water production in buildings? Among the key findings:

• Emissions attributable to refrigerants used in heat pumps and thermodynamic water heaters in France account for 0.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions in metropolitan France;
• Existing policies are already reducing the environmental impact of refrigerants;
• Heat pumps produce 3 to 4 times fewer emissions than gas-based alternatives;

The economic competitiveness of heat pumps would be reduced if a tax were imposed on HFCs, resulting in a 2% to 7% increase in overall costs for households. Photo ©Nathalie Pothier – fotolia.com"

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