Page 1
Tag: HFCs
-
$26m US refrigerant research centre announced
The US National Science Foundation has announced $26 million in funding for a cross-university research centre into sustainable refrigerants.
-
EPA targets illegal import of HFCs
The Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with Resonac after the company imported hydrofluorocarbons into the USA.
-
European views on the F-gas phase-out
HVAC&R News reached out to experts in Europe who have been closely engaged with the revision of the F-gas regulation for their views.
-
Refrigerants Australia seeks clarification on EU changes
Refrigerants Australia has made a submission to the European Commission posing questions about the HFC phase-out.
-
EU Parliament approves HFC phase-out by 2050
In a historic vote on Tuesday, the European Parliament chose overwhelmingly to support rules that will ban HFCs by 2050.
-
COP28 criticised for unsustainable cooling
The EIA has called out the organisers of COP28 for using air conditioners with “climate wrecking” HFC and HCFC refrigerants.
-
Countries commit to Global Cooling Pledge
More than 60 countries have committed to the Global Cooling Pledge at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
-
EIA flags rogue emissions at fluorochemical plants
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has released a report presenting evidence of high-GWP and ozone-depleting gases being emitted from two major fluorochemical facilities in the US. For the report, EIA investigators used an infrared detection device at the fencelines of two production facilities operated by Honeywell and Chemours in Baton Rouge, LA and Corpus Christi, […]
-
If heat pumps aren’t an HFC quota issue, what is?
The recent report on heat pumps released by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) looked to answer an important question. Would the increased uptake of heat pumps as a result of electrification jeopardise Australia’s HFC phase-down target? The answer it gave was a solid “no”. But although the report may […]
-
US EPA sets major restrictions on HFCs
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced further actions it will be taking to to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Biden-Harris administration aims to reduce HFCs by 40 per cent in 2024, and to achieve an 85 per cent reduction by 2036 under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act – in line […]
-
Europe forges ahead with HFC phase-out plan
The European Parliament and Council has taken the next – and what appears to be decisive – step towards a new and ambitious phase-out schedule for HFC refrigerants. The deal includes specific phase-out dates for the use of fluorinated gases in sectors where it is “technologically and economically feasible to switch to alternatives”. This includes […]
-
Looking beyond our GWP ‘tunnel vision’
What gets measured gets managed is a truism of our age. But in the case of refrigerants, is a heavy reliance on one measurement concealing the full sustainability story? Adrian Bukmanis, founder of Veridian Refrigerant Management, believes so. He presented at AIRAH’s recent Future of HVAC Conference on the topic “No longer immaterial: The life-cycle […]
-
EIA launches “What the F” campaign
The Environmental Investigation Authority (EIA) has launched a new campaign to educate consumers about the impact of fluorinated gases on the environment. “EIA’s Climate campaign has long advocated tackling the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of climate-warming emissions, specifically the phasing out or down of fluorinated gases, or F-gases,” says the EIA. “These are a range of greenhouse […]
-
US lays out next steps for HFC phase-down
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an HFC reduction of 40 per cent below historic levels from 2024 through 2028. The rule aligns with the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act’s goals to reduce the production and consumption of HFCs by 85 per cent by 2036. The US began its phase-down on […]
-
Australia to ban high-GWP refrigerants in small AC
The Australian federal government intends to implement restrictions on small air conditioning equipment with high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant. From July 1, 2024, Australia will ban the import and manufacture of small air conditioning equipment using refrigerant with a GWP over 750. This ban will apply to equipment with up to 2.6kg refrigerant charge […]
-
Pushing the private sector on sustainable cooling
The Environmental Investigation Agency US (EIA US) has released a new report calling for private sector commitments on cooling to be meaningful enough to tackle the climate crisis. EIA US says the suite of government contributions to curb greenhouse gas emissions alone are not enough to put the world on a path to limit warming to […]
-
CFCs on the rise again?
A new study has found increased emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), despite their production being banned under the Montreal Protocol. The researchers say the most likely cause is a “loophole” that allows the creation of CFCs during the production of other chemicals, including common synthetic refrigerants. The research, published in Nature Geoscience and led by the […]
-
The EU phase-down plan – brave or foolhardy?
At the end of February, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) agreed to major amendments to the F-gas regulation – the EU legislation that controls emissions from fluorinated greenhouse gases. If the changes are confirmed by the European Parliament, it will effectively see a phase-out of HFC refrigerants […]
-
Europe votes to move away from fluorinated refrigerants
The European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) has agreed to amendments to the F-gas regulation that will see bans on fluorinated gases in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment over the next five years. It signals a major move away from synthetic gases and towards natural alternatives. “We are making […]
-
US EPA proposes tighter HFC restrictions
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to restrict the use of many “super-pollutant” hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in new air conditioner and refrigeration systems, as well as in foams and aerosols. The proposal targets the use of HFCs above a certain global warming potential (GWP) and will require most new equipment to transition to lower-GWP […]