It’s easy to argue that no single development has impacted the HVACR industry as much as the Montreal Protocol. The international treaty, which was signed 25 years ago, ultimately phased out CFC and HCFC production; introduced refrigerant recovery, recycling, and reclamation; and, essentially, enveloped the HVACR industry under the power of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which now dictates certifications and penalties related to the use and handling of refrigerants.
More than two decades later, the worldwide contract is still strongly impacting many sectors of the HVACR industry, including the decisions of contractors and service technicians. Ongoing discussions are currently underway, examining ways to incorporate HFCs into the protocol in order to phase down their use due to relatively high global warming potential (GWP). And while no changes are expected in the foreseeable future, these continuing conversations, and the potential developments pending, have surely caught the attention of those across the industry.