A new study led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) shows that transitioning to high-efficiency cooling can double the climate mitigation effects of the HFC phase-down under the Kigali Amendment. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which entered into force in 2019, aims to phase down the consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), […]
The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) says that the EU’s F-gas Regulation – Europe’s equivalent of Australia’s HFC phase-down – has been a major success, and the next step must be to consider the energy efficiency of buildings and equipment. As part of its consultation process and feedback to the EU, the IIR consulted its […]
A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has flagged the huge potential of the HVAC&R sector to reduce global emissions. The Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report notes that over the next four decades, international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 460 […]
Research co-led by York University and Environment and Climate Change Canada has unearthed new evidence about the impacts of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) on the environment. HFOs have been positioned by some as the future of synthetic refrigerants. They have zero ozone-depleting potential and break down very quickly in the atmosphere, resulting in very low global warming […]
The time has come to herald the sustainability solutions offered by HVAC&R, rather than focus on its challenges. That’s the message from Andrea Voigt, Director General of the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE). As Europe swelters through one of its hottest summers on record, cooling in the form of air conditioning is […]
In a recent trip to Australia for AIRAH’s Refrigeration 2019 conference, Prof. Dr. Michael Kauffeld of Germany’s Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences shared his expertise on natural refrigerants. In his keynote presentation, Kauffeld detailed the HFC phase-down and what’s coming next for refrigeration, particularly with regards to natural refrigerants such as CO2, ammonia and hydrocarbons. Following his […]
Heatcraft has released a new app to help customers better manage their cylinder fleets. Gas2Go lets business owners and contractors assign and transfer cylinder holders, scan bar codes and geolocate cylinders. They can also assign locations and add activity notes against each cylinder. And fill weights can be adjusted to accurately measure refrigerant across the […]
The fifth episode of AIRAH on Air, AIRAH’s regular podcast series, explores the HFC phase-down. The phase-down is a worldwide initiative designed to mitigate climate change by reducing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – synthetic gases used in air conditioning and refrigeration that can be thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming. […]
AIRAH has announced a compelling list of speakers for the Refrigeration 2019 conference, which will take place over March 25–26 in Melbourne. Headlining the event are international keynote speakers Professor Dr Michael Kauffield and Andrew Pansulla from the US. They are at the top of a list of 25 expert speakers delivering presentations across the two […]
The HFC phase-down has seen increasing use of refrigerants with lower GWP but higher flammability such as R290 (propane) and R32. In turn, this has raised major concerns about the safe use of these gases. According to the Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA), recent workplace fire incidents involving flammable refrigerant gases have “directly contributed […]