A Conversation with Andrew Williams, data & innovation director, LoweConex
The phase-out of HFCs is no longer something organisations can simply monitor from a distance. It is not just a regulatory requirement. It is becoming an operational and commercial reality.
Retailers, facilities teams and procurement leaders are already feeling the pressure. Regulation is tightening. Supply is shrinking. Prices are rising. And yet many organisations are still asking the same question: Where do we begin?
To explore this further, we spoke with Andrew Williams, data & innovation director at LoweConex, about why asset data, rather than technology or capital investment, is the true starting point for a successful HFC transition.
Q: Andrew, can you help set the context. What is happening in the HFC market that retailers need to understand right now?
AW: If we start in the UK, DEFRA has launched a consultation to accelerate the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the refrigerants widely used across cooling, refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.
This is not a small adjustment. The proposals tighten quotas more quickly than previously planned and introduce further reduction steps through to 2050. In practical terms, that means less HFC supply entering the market year after year.
When supply reduces, price volatility tends to follow. Retailers operating large refrigeration estates are particularly exposed because refrigerant cost directly affects operational budgets and long-term financial planning.
At the same time, similar shifts are happening globally. The EU’s revised F-Gas Regulation is driving sharper reductions in high-GWP refrigerants. In the United States, the AIM Act mandates an 85 percent reduction in HFC production and consumption over the coming years.
Refrigerant supply operates in a global marketplace. When multiple regions tighten quotas simultaneously, the pressure compounds. This is a structural shift, and organisations that plan ahead will manage the transition far more effectively than those reacting to supply constraints.
Q: With that context in mind, many retailers still feel unsure about where to begin. What is the biggest obstacle you are seeing?
AW: In most cases, it is not a lack of data. It is the fragmentation of it.
Refrigerant logs often sit with contractors. Maintenance data lives inside CAFM systems. Asset registers may be manually maintained. Operational data sits in BMS platforms. Each system holds a portion of the story, but none of them are fully connected.
Without a clear, connected view of the refrigeration and HVAC estate, it is difficult to quantify exposure, prioritise action or build a credible roadmap. Centralising that data creates a single source of truth, strengthens compliance and reveals patterns such as repeat faults, leakage trends and underperforming assets.
Once the data is connected, the conversation moves beyond reporting and into insight and action.
Q: Once data is centralised, how does analytics enhance decision making?
AW: Centralised data tells you what exists. Analytics helps determine what should happen next.
Forecasting models can project future refrigerant usage and highlight cost exposure. At-risk assets can be identified before failure. Recency, frequency and severity analysis can rank leakage patterns to target intervention effectively.
Natural language processing can interpret engineer notes and surface repeat issues that structured datasets may not capture. This enables evidence-based capital allocation, reduced refrigerant cost and stronger ESG reporting.
Q: Many organisations approach refrigerant management primarily through a compliance lens. Is that enough?
AW: Compliance is essential, but it doesn’t drive meaningful transition on its own.
Organisations must understand:
- asset age
- condition
- maintenance history
- and failure patterns.
When these dimensions are connected, the estate becomes an interconnected system rather than a collection of individual units.
That broader perspective enables strategic prioritisation and targeted intervention rather than uniform replacement.
Q: For organisations starting this journey, what foundations need to be in place?
AW: More often than not, the barrier is data quality and connectivity.
You cannot plan a transition without a complete asset register. You cannot forecast refrigerant demand without accurate usage records. You cannot prioritise replacement without visibility of leakage history and performance trends.
The minimum viable foundation includes a complete asset list with refrigerant type and volume, accurate refrigerant usage records and a validated site list. Once connected, these datasets allow planning to become structured, measurable and defensible.
Q: Andrew, if you had to leave retailers with one clear message as the HFC phase-out accelerates, what would it be?
AW: This is fundamentally a data challenge before it is anything else.
Organisations that invest early in understanding and connecting their asset data will move with clarity rather than urgency. They will allocate capital with evidence rather than assumption and manage risk proactively.
In an environment where supply constraints are structural, visibility becomes a strategic advantage, and a long-term cost reduction opportunity that will drive market competitiveness.
Meet LoweConex at EuroShop
If these challenges resonate with your organisation, the LoweConex team will be at EuroShop in Hall 14, Stand B60, discussing how connected asset data can support HFC transition, ESG reporting and long-term estate optimisation.
Click here to arrange a time to meet the team
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