The Latest International Climate Agreement Means Better Air Conditioner Performance For Everyone
Warnings about a warming earth continue to be a hot topic among politicians, scientists and business leaders world-wide. There is a consensus that a trend in global warming is for real. The dispute remains as to the cause: is it man-made or a cyclical and naturally occurring event that we have no control over. And now refrigerant’s like the ones in old air conditioners or refrigerators are front and center as a big part of the problem – and solution.
Recently, representatives from more than 100 countries joined the U.S. administration in backing an ambitious worldwide agreement the phase out Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) as refrigerants in air conditioning systems.
What was thought to be a solution to the dangerous depletion of the ozone layer thirty years ago, the HFC coolants have now been deemed a problem.
Hydrofluorocarbons seemed like a remedy to an environmental crisis targeted in 1980s. The reduction of the earth’s ozone layer was theorized to be caused from chemical emissions of refrigerants used in air conditioning and refrigeration around the world.
The new HFC compounds could do everything the old ones could without damaging the ozone layer, so global policymakers turned to them as a substitute. In 1987, this swap of refrigerants was formalized in the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
The change appeared to have worked. The ozone layer, our greatest protection from the harmful rays of the sun, has recovered dramatically and to its normal configuration. During the past thirty years, however, the overall problem of temperature warming and climate change has worsened dramatically. Some of this climate deterioration is blamed on hydrofluorocarbons.
Now, world leaders strongly support an amendment to the Montreal Protocol aimed at cutting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and replacing it with a more environmentally friendly ac coolant.
HFCs is a far less common gas than the most abundant greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. But HFCs have a much higher (20 times) warming potential than carbon dioxide by volume, making it more destructive.
The declaration stated that by passing the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs, we could reduce global warming by up to 0.5°C by the end of the century. The agreement, known as the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, will be one of the most effective contributors to reaching goals described in the Paris climate accord that becomes a legal at the end of November.
The changeover will take time, however. The U.S. and some other developed countries nations will begin to phase out HFCs in the year 2019. An additional 100 developing nations, including China and Brazil, will begin to reduce their emissions in 2024. India and Pakistan and Persian Gulf states will not start until 2028.
The long-range goal is to for every country to have achieved an 80% reduction in HFCs by 2040.
The Obama administration has already begun to encourage our military and other government departments to purchase equipment that will run on climate-helpful alternatives coolants where feasible.
The American consumer doesn’t have to wait for the safer coolant mandate to kick in, however.
To avoid the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a variety of climate-friendly, efficient and safe alternatives are available today. Hydrocarbon refrigerants have been used for many years in refrigerators and freezers in people`s homes throughout the world. Over 90% of new appliances nowadays contain hydrocarbon refrigerants, including the complete line of air conditioners and heat pumps from Bryant . These appliances are very efficient also under high-ambient temperatures.
A hydrocarbon [HC] is an elementary compound of hydrogen and carbon which occurs naturally. It’s found in large concentrations in crude oil. Used as a modern refrigerant, non-toxic hydrocarbons are an eco¬friendly alternative to fluorocarbons.
The next time you are serviced by an HVAC company like the MAHLE Cool Air, ask about having your old coolant replaced with Puron from Bryant. It is an environmentally friendly ac coolant that doesn’t contain HFCs and offers far superior performance that the older coolants.