Johnson Controls has donated $100,000 to ASHRAE Research. The donation will help fund research that supports the development of safety standards regarding the use of mildly flammable, low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants.

ASHRAE, the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a partnership to fund research that will facilitate and accelerate the safe use of ASHRAE classification 2L mildly flammable refrigerants. Johnson Controls’ donation will support this research.

“ASHRAE is very appreciative of this contribution from Johnson Controls toward our research on A2L refrigerants,” said David Underwood, 2016-17 ASHRAE president. “These funds will go a long way in our vital research to establish a more robust fact base about the properties and the use of flammable refrigerants. Johnson Controls has a strong history of supporting ASHRAE Research, serving as a Platinum Circle donor.”

According to Johnson Controls, this donation to ASHRAE Research is just one example of how the company is following through on commitments made in late 2015 to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In response to its pledge to offer equipment that can be readily retrofitted with high-efficiency, low-GWP options, the company offers fully future-compatible R-134a screw and centrifugal chillers with Chemours’ low-GWP refrigerant Opteon™ XP10 (R-513A), a non-flammable (A-1) azeotropic alternative with a 56 percent lower GWP than R-134a. The refrigerant is compatible with YORK® centrifugal and screw chillers ranging from 125 to 6,000 tons (440 to 21,100kW).

Johnson Controls also is involved in discussions associated with the Global Refrigerant Management Initiative (GRMI)that are being led by AHRI, The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, and the Brazilian Association for HVACR regarding the development and standardization of service technician and operator training for the safe use of mildly flammable, low-GWP refrigerants.

The company said it is on schedule to meet two additional commitments: expanding the availability of high-efficiency, low-GWP refrigerant options in its commercial air conditioning and refrigeration product portfolio, and developing aftermarket retrofit services for customers that desire to convert their existing equipment to low-GWP refrigerants.

For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/buildings/specialty-pages/refrigerant-resevoir.