CFC Phaseout Implications for Commercial Cooling Presented by Marie Broadwell US Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX (415)

Alphabet Soup CFCsChlorofluorocarbons HCFCsHydrochlorofluorocarbons HFCsHydrofluorocarbons Release of these refrigerants to the atmosphere causes - Ozone depletion - Global warming

CFC-12Automotive Air Conditioning Residential Refrigeration Commercial Refrigeration Centrifugal Chillers Common Refrigerant Applications CFC-11Centrifugal Chillers (low pressure) HCFC-22Unitary A/C & Heat Pumps (Residential & Commercial) Screw Compressors Centrifugal Chillers (high pressure) HFC-134aCentrifugal Chillers Reciprocating Chillers Automotive A/C Residential & Commercial Refrigeration

EPA Recycling Regulations Purge losses OK, venting isn’t Refrigeration technician certification Recovery and recycling required Refrigerant record keeping Safe disposal requirements Enforcement underway VENTING

EPA Stratospheric Ozone Hotline & Web Site Hotline:

What is the CFC Phaseout? U.S. response to stratospheric ozone depletion 1990 Clean Air Act CFC & HCFC production phaseouts Mandatory refrigerant recycling Significant New Alternatives Program (SNAP)

CFC Phaseout Schedule CFC production halted January 1, 1996

HCFC Phaseout Schedule Year HCFC-141b HCFC-22 (new equipment) HCFC-22 (existing equipment) HCFC-123 (new equipment) HCFC-123 (existing equipment)

What about HFCs? HFCs Are Ozone-Safe HFCs Contribute to Global Warming No HFC Phaseout Scheduled

How Does the CFC Phaseout Affect Me? No more CFC production CFC shortages are here Many CFC chillers still not converted Large amounts of money at stake

Conventional Wisdom: Concentrate only on refrigeration systems Designate a facility refrigerant manager Conduct inventory of equipment and refrigerants Develop a refrigerant management plan

Designate a Refrigerant Manager Responsibility Knowledge Authority Resources Support

Prepare an Inventory List chillers & refrigeration equipment, age, refrigerant type, condition Monitor the amount of refrigerants bought & used Evaluate leakage rates

Develop an Action Plan Define responsibilities of key personnel Develop a CFC policy Decide what to do with each piece of equipment –contain, retrofit or replace?

Containment of CFC’s You may have CFCs in stock Conserve CFC’s –regular equipment maintenance –leak repair –install high-efficiency purge units Immediate strategy for all equipment CFCs

Conversion of Equipment Substitute refrigerants CFC-12HFC-134a CFC-11HCFC-123 HCFC-22HCFC-407c Not “drop-in” substitutes Modification to equipment & operation usually required Refer to SNAP list for acceptability

Replacement of Equipment Appropriate for equipment near end of its life Gives wide choice of refrigerants & technologies Don’t just design a new chiller, design a new chiller plant –Chillers make up 60% of connected load –Cooling towers, fans, & pumps make up 40% of load Cooling end-use: 15% Chiller end-use: 9% (% of electrical energy)

Beyond Conventional Wisdom: The CFC Phaseout Is an Opportunity To better understand your entire building system and current chiller stock –Energy audit –Quantify your cooling energy use To reduce cooling loads in your building To “right-size” your equipment

The Big Opportunity: Integrated Chiller Retrofit Carefully consider the interaction of all building systems - it makes “Cool $ense”

Voluntary Government Programs DOE Rebuild America DOE-EREC EPA Energy Star Buildings STAR-YES community-based program building owner-based program