The recent refrigerant delistings made under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program have made some customers — especially in the supermarket refrigeration sector — skittish about making a major investment in new refrigeration equipment.
HVACR industry leaders and White House officials gathered today at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, District of Columbia, to reaffirm their 2014 pledge to invest $5 billion over 10 years in the research, development, and commercialization of low-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants.
At a White House Industry Leader Roundtable today, the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) provided a progress report on its 2014 pledge to invest $5 billion in research over the next 10 years for new refrigerants and HVACR equipment to support energy efficiency.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final rule, announced July 2 and published in the Federal Register on July 20 (Federal Register Vol. 80 No. 138, July 20, 2015, 42870-42959), will — among other things — change the listing for certain refrigerants used for retail food refrigeration.
Daikin Industries Ltd. has announced that it is offering companies worldwide free access to 93 patents to encourage the development and commercialization of air conditioning, cooling, and heat pump equipment that uses HFC-32 as a single-component refrigerant.
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) announced it will present test results of the second phase of its Low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Program (AREP) during a one-day conference on Jan. 21, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, the day before the start of the ASHRAE Winter Conference.
Honeywell announced that its new Solstice® refrigerant for supermarket refrigeration has been named a finalist for the R&D 100 Awards, sponsored by R&D Magazine.
Daikin Industries Ltd. announced it is offering companies worldwide free access to 93 patents to encourage them to develop and commercialize air conditioning, cooling, and heat pump equipment that uses HFC-32 as a single-component refrigerant.
Ultimately, I think the elimination of the uncertainty about the terms of the final rule will help the refrigerant world by providing a clear direction. Now, everyone knows what they’re dealing with, and the known is always easier to face than the unknown.
It’s looking more likely that there will be a global agreement to phase down HFCs, and it could come as early as this year or possibly next; either way, it’s coming.