Page 14 - Climate Control News May 2021

In Focus
EUROVENT JOINS COALITION
Eurovent has joined the Cool Coalition,
a global initiative led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
The initiative aims to promote access to efficient,
climate-friendly cooling for both industrialised and developing countries. Eurovent joins the network of more than 100 partners to help achieve better standards and regulations across the globe in support of the Coalition’s objectives.
Coalition members are collaborating on science, policy, finance, and technology to meet growing demands for cooling in the context of rising climate ambition. It brings together governments, cities, international organisations, businesses, finance, academia, and civil society groups, engaged in knowledge exchange, advocacy, and joint action towards a rapid global transition to efficient and climate-friendly cooling.
UNEP Cool Coalition coordinator, Lily Riahi, said demand for cooling and refrigeration will rise exponentially over coming decades.
“To put the cooling sector on a path to net-zero emissions, we need everyone on board,” she said.
ABOVE: UNEP Cool Coalition coordinator, Lily Riahi.
14
Industry petitions for climate-friendly refrigerants
Industry groups across the US want national standards for
air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
THE AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING, AND REFRIGERATION INSTITUTE (AHRI) HAS JOINED MORE THAN 35 OTHER INDUSTRY
AND ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS IN PETITIONING THE UNITED STATES’ ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
TO INTRODUCE NATIONAL STANDARDS TO TRANSITION TO CLIMATE-FRIENDLY REFRIGERANTS.
AHRI IS SEEKING uniform national standards for stationary air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment under the American In- novation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act.
If introduced these standards will result in an additional half billion tonnes of CO2 reduction over and above what will be achieved once the AIM Act is implemented.
The federal standards sought by the AHRI pe- tition align with similar standards already in place in nine states.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) submitted similar petitions under the AIM Act.
For new residential and light commercial cen- tral air conditioning equipment, the AHRI peti- tion seeks a regulation requiring that equipment manufacturers use refrigerants with a global warming potential (GWP) of 750 or less in equip- ment made after 1 January, 2025 (with the excep- tion of variable refrigerant flow (VRF) equipment
which would have a deadline of 1 January, 2026). These transition dates would align the coun- try with the dates adopted in December 2020 by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and
nine additional Climate Alliance states.
For commercial refrigeration and chiller equipment, the petition seeks a 1 January, 2022 start date with the exception of transport refrig-
eration, which would commence in 2023.
“The transition dates allow sufficient time for careful planning and preparation, both to avoid excessive costs that can unduly burden consum- ers and to ensure all safety and other associated
standards can be met,” the petition said.
“For example, contractors and technicians must receive appropriate training, state and lo- cal building codes must be updated and changed, and supply chains and distribution networks
must be modified.”
AHRI, the U.S. Department of Energy, CARB,
and other stakeholders have invested more than $7 million in research into alternative refriger- ants in preparation for this transition.