The refrigerant industry is in a state of flux due to political, environmental and technical changes.
ACHR News points to a number of issues that are roiling the sector: The phase out of R-22, the Montreal Protocol, the reduced use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), changes to the Significant New Alternative Policy (SNAP), delistings and changes to Section 608 of the refrigerant management guidelines. Overshadowing it all is a new and unpredictable administration in Washington.
Many, if not all, of these changes will impact the commercial sector. For instance, the story points to the need to move to new refrigerants:
Stefanie Kopchick, North America marketing manager, refrigerants, The Chemours Co., said she expects contractors working in commercial refrigeration to feel an urgency to reduce their dependence on R-22 and continue transitioning their customers to solutions that not only help them incrementally get past the regulations but also provide longer term, low-GWP, and energy-efficient solutions.
Earlier this month, Honeywell said that Coborn’s has chosen its Solstice N40 (R-448A) refrigerant. Coborn’s is a chain with more than 50 supermarkets and 120 stores in the midwest.
The refrigerant, the press release says, will enable the stores to cut their energy bills by as much as 16 percent and meet new regulatory requirements ahead of schedule. Solstice was chosen for the company’s new location in Isanti, MN and will be used in new facilities and retrofits going forward, the press release says.
