We aim to stop using ozone-depleting gases by 2010

Ozone-depleting refrigerant gases are used mainly for cooling network equipment in the UK, as well as in air conditioning in our offices and switching centres.

We are making good progress in our move from HCFC to HFC gas.

We are replacing R22 (an ozone-depleting HCFC gas) with free cooling systems or alternative HFC gas systems, with no ozone-depleting potential. We have completed over 890 cell sites to date and have about 358 still to go.
 
We are also assessing sites for free cooling systems, which eliminates the need for any refrigerant gases. We plan to replace refrigerant air conditioning with forced-air systems where feasible. This project is expected to bring operational cost savings as well as providing an environmentally friendly solution.

Over the past few years we have been working to substitute HCFCs (e.g. R22) with HFCs. In addition, we have been moving away from refrigeration to free air cooling, which does not involve the use of refrigerant gases.