HVAC Refrigerants
HVAC Refrigerants are chemicals which are used in HVAC systems which transition from liquid to gas in order to absorb heat and convert it to cooler air. It is used in Air Conditioning and Heat Pump systems to provide cool air in residential and commercial building applications.
Refrigerants are generally highly flammable and toxic, they are very regulated within the United States from production, import, application, collection and distribution. Since 1994 the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the United States requires that refrigerants only be handled by licensed professionals per sections 608 and 609 of the Clean Air Act.
New refrigerant technologies seek to find the best options for reducing hazardous environmental impact, reducing energy costs and increasing results from HVAC equipment. This is an evolving process since the HVAC equipment is designed to operate using a specific refrigerant. Phasing out a refrigerant requires time for new equipment to enter and become prevalent in the marketplace, homes and commercial buildings.
Beginning January 1, 2025 full split systems using R410a will be banned from production and banned from installation after January 1, 2026. Parts for legacy (existing installed systems are not included in the ban).
Types of Refrigerants
There are many different types of refrigerants in use today. There are some which were very commonly used, but have phased out due to environmental hazard concerns. For example:
- R22 refrigerant was developed in the 1930s and very widely used until it began being phased out in 2010. It is a Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) which has high greenhouse gas impact on the environment in it’s common uses as well as in it’s production. R22 began being phased out in 2010 and was banned from production at that time in the United States, but was still allowed to be imported until 2020 when it was also banned from import.
- R410a became R22’s common replacement in HVAC systems, R410a is an HFC Class refrigerant and is a blend of HFC-32 and HFC-125 refrigerants. It is high performing, but still impacts the environment. It is currently being phased out and will most commonly be replaced by R32 and R454b.
- R32 is an HFC, is more climate friendly and is a very efficient replacement for R410a since it is one of the two refrigerants contained in R410a. Daikin Manufacturing will be using R32 in it’s new Daikin, Goodman and Amana products- Information link.
- R454b (Opteon) is a blend of 68.9% R32 and 31.1% R-1234yf Tetrafluoropropene. It is non toxic and mildly flammable making it the replacement choice in new production for most HVAC manufacturers other than Daikin including Champion (Johnson Controls)- Information Link, Carrier, Trane and others.
Conclusion
New HVAC technologies are adapting to the evolving environmental needs while endeavoring to meet the needs of consumers and improve product performance.
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