Low GWP Refrigerants

The next generation of refrigerants are coming! Learn why this is important and how it will affect heat pumps and other devices.

Refrigerants are used in many familiar products from refrigerators to air conditioners, automobiles and of course, heat pumps. They already play a crucial role in our lives and are becoming more important as we transition to the all electric future. Refrigerants are required in any heat pump and are the secret to their efficiency as they capture and move heat to condition our spaces and heat our water.
Currently, most refrigerants have a high global warming potential (GWP) which means that if they escape to the atmosphere they can have negative climate impacts. While heat pumps still produce vastly lower emissions than their fossil fuel counterparts even when considering their relatively low levels of refrigerant leakage, reducing the GWP of refrigerants could significantly curb the planet's warming. The Kigali Amendment internationally and the Environmental Protection Agency's AIM act in the US both seek to reduce the GWP of refrigerants over the coming years. This means that common refrigerants like R410A will be phased out and replaced by the next generation of lower GWP refrigerants .
Join us as we explore the world of refrigerants with our panel of experts. We will answer the following questions and more:

What is the current state of refrigerants used in heat pumps and other devices?
How much of these refrigerants are estimated to be leaking into the atmosphere?
What is the Kigali Amendment and the AIM act and what does it require?
What are the new refrigerants that are coming and when will they be phased in?
What are the estimated climate benefits of these new refrigerants?
What are the implications for manufacturers and for consumers?

Panelists:

Christina Starr is the Senior Manager, Climate Campaign, for EIA – U.S. She has worked on EIA's investigative, corporate responsibility, and international climate policy work, driving HFC engagement with the U.S. EPA and key states, including California, New York, and Washington. She’s also worked on increasing stakeholder engagement on issues surrounding end-of-life refrigerant management. She is an active member of several standards committees on refrigeration and air conditioning and chaired a UL task group on increasing adoption of low-global warming potential refrigerants.

Helen Walter-Terrinoni is the VP of Regulatory Affairs at The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Director of Global Climate Policy at Trane. Prior to this, she worked as Fluorochemical Global Regulatory Policy Manager at Fluorochemical Global Regulatory Policy. Helen has also worked as Regulatory Affairs at The Chemours Company and Sourcing Planner at DuPont. Helen holds a Master's Degree in chemical engineering, with a concentration in environmental engineering, from Syracuse University.