The Advent of Low GWP Refrigerants:

Its Impact on the Philippine HVAC Industry

Written By: Dean Paul Cueto, RME

Research shows that the Filipinos are among the worlds most health conscious individuals1. In this new outlook, it is only a matter of time before the countrys major corporations address this deepening global crisis. Local companies involvement in the environmental issues is inevitable just as the Filipinos embrace the milk tea craze. Drastic environmental concerns such as global warming pose serious risks as it aggravate every year and threaten the very existence of humans. The collaborative efforts to phase out harmful chemicals that deplete the ozone layer ignite hope in offsetting global warming. These chemical refrigerants such as CFCs and HCFCs are used extensively in the HVAC/R systems in the country exhibit high global warming potential (GWP). Eradication of the said refrigerants is underway in a 40 year period that began in 1995 through the Montreal Protocol2. Almost halfway before the deadline, introduction to low GWP refrigerants is deemed necessary. Various experiments were conducted to evaluate these new blends of low GWP refrigerants3. Results showed that these new refrigerants exhibit remarkable safety, environmental and system performance; although there are still several options and tradeoffs among flammability, energy efficiency and cooling capacity4. These breakthroughs gear toward further elimination and replacement of CFCs, HCFCs and other harmful refrigerants. Philippines, being one of the developing countries, face hurdles in transitioning to low GWP refrigerants. This refrigerant shift corresponds to a more complex system in terms of installation, re-designing parts, servicing equipment and the industry being inadequately skilled to handle these low GWP refrigerants. One way of addressing the problem is by raising awareness to young engineers of the possible alternatives to the traditional refrigerants and from this everything else will follow5. That is what some of the worlds leading companies are doing to increase the public environmental consciousness in the likes of the number one provider of HVAC solutions; Emerson, and leader in container refrigeration; Carrier. Emerson, on one hand, is ready for the upcoming refrigerant transition through its new Copeland scroll compressors where in chlorine-free refrigerant called R-410A is utilized6. Carrier, on the other, debuts their very own refrigerant technology called NaturaLINE where in natural refrigerant is employed7. Another area that will intensify the use of low GWP refrigerants is the increase in demand for green buildings in the country. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings enhance and protect the environment and now slowly becoming a norm in Philippine architecture. A range of new features present on these types of buildings include the use of recyclable or sustainably produced materials in the structures frame, employment of solar photovoltaic array on the roof provides shade and on-site renewable energy or a rainwater-collector roof perhaps, utilization of energy-saving glass for a more efficient cooling, incorporation of energy efficient T5 and CFL with sensors and assimilation of a sewage treatment plant for recycling treated water used for flushing and gardening8. Now, LEED has turn into one of the most esteemed green building certification systems. There are over 8 billion square feet of LEED-certified buildings in the world and save an average of 8 million tons of CO2 emissions each year9. Following this going-green bandwagon is foreseeable. Why? Because aside from environmental awareness, corporations gradually understand that going green is a new way for them to save or even make more money. Shareholders, as well, perceive benefits to businesses once they invest in green buildings. Companies expect to gain more from investing to green office space with a reduction in operating costs, faster rate of return, and increase in tenancy10. Lastly, who would not want to have a good publicity, right?

Bibliography
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http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/326019/filipinos-among-worlds-most-health-nutrition-and-dietconscious
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http://www.mb.com.ph/node/304120/greening-your-refrigerant; Montreal Protocol (1987) http://www.epa.gov/greenchill/downloads/Refrigerant%20Updates.pdf http://www.beyondhfcs.org/files/studies/panasonic-hfo-tests.pdf http://www.effsys2.se/Publicerade%20dokument/P24/P24%20Report_P24_v3a.pdf http://www2.dupont.com/Refrigerants/en_US/assets/downloads/SmartAutoAC/MAC_SAE08_HFO_1 234yf.pdf

http://www2.dupont.com/Refrigerants/en_US/assets/downloads/20100309-CLIMA-KontomarisLeck-Hughes-paper.pdf
5 6 7 8

http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/information/mmcfiles/7476-e-Report-low-GWPbarriers.pdf http://www.container.carrier.com/Carrier+Brand+Sites/Carrier+Transicold+Container http://www.emerson.com/en-US/Pages/default.aspx http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/whybuild.htm http://www.hearst.com/about-hearst/index.php http://www.archdaily.com/284/grand-rapids-art-museum-leed-gold-certified-why-architecture/ http://www.en3online.com/news1.asp?nid=96

http://www.wellhome.com/blog/2011/08/leed-certification-what-does-it-take/ http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/294671/cbre-sees-more-green-buildings-rising-next-year

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