HVAC Refrigerant Regulations: Three Success Strategies Every Building Owner Should Know

There's good news and bad news when it comes to refrigerant regulations and it can be confusing to know what is right for you and your building. Discover 3 HVAC refrigerant success strategies and how the experts at Trane can help you navigate the related regulations.

Bad news:
HFC refrigerants, the most common refrigerant type used in air conditioners today, have 1,000 to 9,000 times greater capacity to warm the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.1

Good news:
Replacing HFC refrigerants with lower global warming potential (GWP) alternatives could reduce emissions by 42.73 – 48.75 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent from 2020 to 2050.2

Here are three strategies for staying in compliance with refrigerant regulations and reducing their ozone-depleting effects.

1. Refrigerant Migration

Some equipment can be safely converted to use a refrigerant with lower GWP. Caution: 90% of refrigerant emissions happen during removal, so proper handling and recycling is a must.

2. Refrigerant Management

Choose a qualified service provider that complies with Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) Section 8 requirements for safe, professional refrigerant handling, inspections and documentation.

3. Refrigerant Monitoring

Using connected mechanical equipment, you can monitor key equipment information to detect leaks early, minimize ozone depletion and comply with ASHRAE 15 requirements.

 

Read more at Drawdown.com; Trane.com/refrigerant-management

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1. Project Drawdown, “Refrigerant Management,” web.
2. Project Drawdown, “Alternative Refrigerants,” web.
3. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

Calculating a Gigaton

Emissions calculations often result in a staggering number, but just how big is a gigaton anyway?3

Let’s break down emissions reduction into something easier to grasp.

  • 1 gigaton is 1 billion Metric tons
  • 10 Metric Tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, is similar to:
    • 25,635 miles driven by an average gas-powered car
    • A year’s worth of electricity for 1.3 homes
    • 1,216,426 smartphones charged