The EPA has issued final approval for a new refrigerant for use in vehicle air conditioning systems. HFO-1234yf may now be used in air conditioning for new cars and light trucks. There is much to be said about this announcement because it is possible that someday HFOs might impact those of us in stationary HVACR. But not right now.

This issue with a focus on recovery and recycling had all the makings of a nostalgia fest. It was 24 years ago that the Montreal Protocol first surfaced and soon thereafter brought the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement that HVACR contractors have this device called a recovery/recycling machine available.

Issues that could some day affect the way HVACR contractors do business continue to draw attention in both Europe and Asia. Nothing being talked about right now has any direct impact on the North American market, but the issues remain on the industry’s radar screen for what possibly could happen in the future.

While polyvinylether (PVE) oil first started to be used by OEMs in 2010, it continues to draw interest, especially as a possible alternative to polyolester (POE) oils with HFC refrigerants. “So far in the States, we have two manufacturers using PVE extensively,” said Eric Schweim of Idemitsu Lubricants America Corp.

The year 2010 and the start of 2011 has proved to be an interesting time for Midwest Refrigerants, a company that approaches the elimination of unwanted refrigerants from a different direction. Midwest has developed a process that breaks down refrigerants to “their original chemical constituents,” as noted by ACR News, a British journal, in a January 2011 report.

It has been more than two decades since the first refrigerant recovery unit came to the HVACR market and became part of the tool arsenal for service technicians. Over that time, two things have become clear: Even a repairable unit doesn’t last forever and the newest units are able to do far more than their predecessors.

Nobody wants to hear Road Warrior stories. Those are the stories business travelers amass over the years about trips in which various things go wrong - delayed or canceled flights, lost luggage, mixed up hotel reservations, etc.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tried a bit of muscle flexing as 2011 started and promptly ran into some roadblocks, while at the same time causing the HVACR industry to keep an even more watchful eye on what the EPA may do next.

It is a familiar lament for those who work on supermarket refrigeration. There is a problem. The owner wants it fixed immediately. The technician can apply a quick fix, but that won’t deal with potential recurring problems - and the fact that the equipment may not be operating all that efficiently or even be all that up-to-date.

If I seem to be looking a little green lately, it is because I find myself paying more and more attention to environmental matters. Such talk, especially the regulatory aspect, has been a part of our industry for more than 25 years going back to the days of the Montreal Protocol. But over the years, green has become a larger part of our industry.