Manufacturers of coolers and freezers are staying cool in the face of regulations that have forced them into a temporary holding pattern. Although the industry was gearing up to meet the updated commercial refrigeration equipment standards from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that are coming in 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recent proposal to de-list specific hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in certain applications added uncertainty to the mix.
Scott Mallernee, sales development manager, Traulsen, said the removal of R-134a and R-404A from the EPA’s approved list as of Jan. 1, 2016, is causing manufacturers to very quickly adopt alternative refrigerant choices. At Traulsen, the likely candidates to replace R-134a and R-404A are R-290 (propane) or a blend such as R-450A.