According to some recent estimates, the cooling industry accounts for approximately 10% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To place this in perspective, the transportation sector, as the highest contributor, accounts for approximately 20% of global CO2 emissions. While some may see this as a “glass half empty” scenario, the better approach is the one taken by key players in the HVACR space.
As we see it, because the cooling industry has been a source of significant emissions contributing to global warming, we have a huge opportunity to turn the tide through innovative chemistry and technology. Certainly, having a sizable impact on improving the health of the planet won’t be as fast as “flipping a switch.” Nor should it be. What is required is a thoughtful, well-planned and well-supported strategy that allows everyone involved in the HVACR industry—from refrigerant and equipment manufacturers to retailers, service shops, and end users—to transition to better solutions in ways that best work for them as well as for our planet in crisis.
Industry’s Contributions to CO2 Emission
CFC use has been reduced to less than 1% of where it was in the 1980s
This transition is already well underway. Long before recent estimates about the industry’s contributions to CO2 emission were shared, providers in HVACR got to work innovating solutions to take refrigeration off “the environmental hot seat,” much like we did decades before when scientists pointed to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a major cause for ozone layer depletion.
If you recall, the 1987 Montreal Protocol unified many countries in the effort and drove industries to find and use CFC alternatives, such as the solutions found in zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. CFC use has been reduced to less than 1% of where it was in the 1980s, and it’s expected that, except for the polar regions, the ozone layer will be completely recovered by 2040.
Industry’s contribution to global warming
To minimize the cooling industry’s contribution to global warming, we started by looking at two areas that stood to make a major impact—improving the overall energy efficiency of equipment and lowering the overall climate impact associated with HVACR. While not the sole solution for making these improvements, we knew refrigerants could play a significant role. Companies like Chemours went to the labs and harnessed the power of chemistry to innovate a new class of refrigerants consisting of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and HFO blends.
In addition, OEMs engineered new systems and retrofit solutions that worked with these HFOs
In addition, OEMs engineered new systems and retrofit solutions that worked with these HFOs, which have zero ODP, offer a global warming potential (GWP) significantly lower than the legacy products they replace, and enable equipment to run with better energy efficiency. At present, in terms of refrigerants, the industry is headed toward an HFO-centric—and more specifically, a low-toxicity, low-flammability A2L-centric—future.
A2Ls and megatrends
Industry and the world operate under the influence of several megatrends that continue to put focus on emerging next-generation refrigeration. These include:
- Fast-tracking the move toward decarbonization
- Circularity—maximizing the use of renewable energy and minimizing waste through reclamation and the infinite reusability of materials
- Shortage in skilled workforces—making it imperative for businesses to have technicians who can work with HFCs, Class A1 and A2L HFOs, and even CFCs and HCFCs
- Increased demand for products that not only support a greener environment but that are manufactured responsibly
Business of HVACR
Solutions need to offer versatility to support everyone from small family-owned shops
These megatrends will continue to influence refrigerant transitions. So will the business of HVACR. In addition to supporting the environment, refrigerants and equipment need to cool effectively and efficiently. They also need to minimize energy consumption, offer low or no toxicity, maximize safety for the people working with them, and have price points that make them accessible to most businesses. Lastly, the supply chain needs to be able to support demand, and solutions need to offer versatility to support everyone from small family-owned shops to global corporations.
Ensuring these needs mesh cohesively with the megatrends requires striking the best possible balance of all the factors. This is where continual refinement of refrigerant chemistry becomes critical. At Chemours, this process started with the first products in our Opteon™ line of HFO-based stationary refrigerants. Chemours Opteon™ XP products, such as Opteon™ XP40 (R-449A) and Opteon™ XP10 (R-513A), are nonflammable refrigerants offering excellent retrofit solutions for replacing higher-GWP legacy HFCs, such as R-404A, while maintaining an A1 safety listing.
ISO Safety Classification of A2L
From here, chemists continued to develop ways to further lower GWP and maximize performance, operating efficiency, and energy savings. At Chemours, this resulted in the Opteon™ XL line. Poised to be next-generation refrigerants, these have an ASHRAE and ISO Safety classification of A2L and deliver very low GWP. Due to their low flammability, A2Ls are used in new equipment only.
A2Ls can also lower operating costs throughout the life cycle of the equipment
In addition to supporting regulatory compliance, A2L performance attributes include increased system efficiency, lower energy consumption, low toxicity, and improved safety for use in a broad range of applications. A2Ls can also lower operating costs throughout the life cycle of the equipment. We're seeing the path to that A2L-centric future take shape. For example, Opteon™ XL41 (R-454B) has already been selected by most pioneering global OEMs, including Carrier, Johnson Controls, and Rheem, which have announced alignment with Chemours for the utilization of this product.
Preparing for the transition
Because regulations vary around the world, we find some regions are highly advanced in the transition to HFOs and A2Ls, while others are just getting started or fall somewhere in the middle. Consequently, there is no single plan to prepare for the refrigerant transition. However, the following considerations can help guide what steps you take, and when you take them.
- Your corporate responsibility mission. The systems you use, sell, or support should be charged with a refrigerant that is in line with your commitment to the health and sustainability of the planet.
- Your employees. Consider the people working for you. Will pride in working for a green company impact productivity, job satisfaction, and retainment?
- Customers and clients. Comfort, safety, being “green and clean”—all come into play in attracting and retaining customers and clients.
- The age of current systems you service/support. Older HVACR systems have greater potential for refrigerant leaks. In the case of ammonia, a leak can pose fatal health risks, and in the case of HCFCs and HFCs, can result in subpar performance. Older systems also tend to require costly repairs and operate less efficiently.
- Market awareness. Keep an eye on supply trends and make sure refrigerant supply can meet the needs of the systems you support.
- Your bottom line. Newer-generation refrigerants and the systems that work with them have been developed to lower energy consumption. Determine when the time is right to make a larger upfront investment in new equipment, which can pay dividends in the form of lower energy bills and overall operating costs.
- Technician training. A2Ls look, feel, and work like R-410A or R-404A, but there are key differences due to their low flammability. Ensure technicians are properly trained to work with A2Ls as well as their predecessors.
In conclusion—collaboration
In a world that continues to demand and expect more, the criticality of HFO refrigerants—and, more specifically, next-generation A2L solutions—is undeniable, because of their environmental and performance advantages over existing alternatives. When you think of the role cooling plays in every part of our everyday lives, it’s easy to see how and why what we do as an industry now stands to have a major influence on the future of our planet.
From being essential to every step along the cold chain—from farm to fork—to ensuring both comfortable and healthy living environments to providing the cooling that makes the data centers that make modern-day necessities and conveniences possible, refrigerants are a permanent fixture in lives, and will remain so as the world in which we live, work, and play continues to evolve. By collaborating, we can all advance a transition that leads to a healthier, more sustainable planet and opens opportunities for every application in the industry to provide customers and clients with higher-performing, safer, and more sustainable solutions.