AHRI, ASHRAE, US DOE partnership devotes $5.2 million to broaden knowledge
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); ASHRAE; and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating to fund vital research that will establish a more robust fact base about the properties and uses of flammable refrigerants. This $5.2 million research program is part of an ongoing global effort to phase down the use of high-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants and identify appropriate climate-friendly alternatives. The DOE will contribute $3 million; ASHRAE, $1.2 million; and AHRI, $1 million.
In anticipation of a global plan to phase down high-GWP refrigerants, the industry has spent the past five years researching potential alternatives. Through that effort, several promising refrigerants were identified, many of which are low-toxicity but are classified as mildly flammable or flammable. This new research program will help provide the technical knowledge needed to facilitate and accelerate the safe use of these refrigerants.