Whilst not at the top of any business owners’ list of priorities, being aware of the refrigerant used
in your commercial air conditioning unit is important.
This ensures you avoid expensive, disruptive and unexpected system replacements and also help you minimise your businesses impact on the environment.
Air conditioners have become subject to increasingly strict regulation in order to lower their contribution to climate change.
What is a refrigerant?
A refrigerant is a crucial element within an air conditioning system, and is usually in a gas or liquid form. It absorbs the heat from the surrounding environment and with the help of the other key elements within the system, converts it into cool air.
A number of refrigerant types have been used in air conditioners historically. They have become subject to increasingly strict regulation in order to lower their contribution to climate change, due to their damaging effect on the ozone layer. The two main ones are:
R22
This hydroclorofluorocarbon (HCFC) was commonly used in air conditioning systems pre-2004,
after which it was banned for use in new equipment due to the identification of HCFCs as a major
contributor to the greenhouse effect.
If your business operates an old system pre-dating the R22 ban, it is likely it uses R22. Legislation
brought in in 2015 introduced the phase-down of HFC refrigerants and banned R22 from being used
to service and maintain equipment which means when issues arise, a sudden and unplanned full
replacement of the system could be the only option.
R410A
Manufacturers initially responded by replacing R22 with R410A due to its lower environmental
burden as well as being far more efficient to run. However, R410A is also a HFC and as such whilst
at a lower level, still has a damaging effect on the ozone layer.
F-Gas Regulations
From 1st January 2020, the EU fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulation (known as the EU F-Gas Regulation) banned the use of refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2,500 or more.
Every refrigerant has a GWP, with carbon as the base (which has a GWP of 1). R410A has a GWP of 2,088 meaning that if one kilogram is released into the atmosphere it would have 2,088 times the harmful effect of one kilogram of carbon.
This doesn’t currently impact the use of R410A. However, it may be reasonable to expect that future revisions to the F-Gas regulations, which were first introduced in 2015, may bring the threshold closer to the GWP of R410A having clear implications for systems using this refrigerant.
R32 – the modern alternative
Many manufacturers are now transitioning to a relatively modern and far less environmentally damaging refrigerant, which has been widely used in Australia, Japan and China, known as R32. R32 has a GWP of just 675, two thirds lower than that of R410A and also has zero ‘Ozone Depleting Potential’ (ODP). R32 offers a range of benefits for the environment, but there are also a range of additional benefits for business owners operating air conditioning systems, including:
- High efficiency
- F-Gas Phase Down compliant
- Easy to handle, use and recycle
- Less refrigerant volume required
- Affordable and readily available
JLA supports R32
In line with JLA’s commitment to ensuring our product ranges are the most efficient and sustainable they can be, all of our air conditioning solutions use R32 refrigerant – meaning our customers benefit from all of these factors.
If you think you may need support with your air conditioning system, get in touch now. We can scope your exact needs, then install and maintain best-in-class R32 A/C units that will achieve optimum climate control across your premises.
Talk to our experts
22,000 organisations trust JLA to supply and look after their laundry, catering, heating, and fire safety
equipment.
Contact us today, and see how we can take care of it for you.
For more expert insights, visit the JLA Knowledge Hub.
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