Joanna Turpin is a Senior Editor at The ACHR NEWS. She can be contacted at 248-786-1707 or joannaturpin@achrnews.com. Joanna has been with BNP Media since 1991, first heading up the company’s technical book division before moving over to The ACHR NEWS, where she frequently writes about refrigerants and commercial refrigeration. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and worked on her master’s degree in technical communication at Eastern Michigan University.
As the HVACR industry transitions away from HFCs such as R-410A to alternative refrigerants that are mildly flammable (A2L), it is not surprising that those who will be handling – or teaching about -- these new products have a lot of questions.
The EPA held a public workshop to explain how it will build off its final 2021 HFC baseline and phasedown rule to establish the allowance allocation methodology for 2024 and beyond.
While proponents claim that electrification is necessary to reduce global warming, critics say that it limits choices for consumers and that some electric technologies may not be as efficient or reliable as their fossil fuel counterparts.
Target and Amazon have both recently announced plans to construct new stores that contain CO2 refrigeration systems, which will help the retailers significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy use.
There is no question that the current environmental trend right now is electrification, which is part of an overall strategy to decarbonize our society. As with most everything in life, perhaps moderation would be a better way to approach electrification.
Danfoss recently broke ground on the construction of what it has called one of the world’s most energy-efficient supermarkets, which will be filled with the latest and most energy-efficient refrigeration and heating technology.
The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) will be hosting its three-day International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain online, from April 11-13.
The HFC phasedown and impending transition to lower-GWP refrigerants were top-of-mind at the recent AHR Expo. With the AIM Act, there is no stopping the transition to A2L refrigerants.