On March 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin made formal the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history that the agency is undertaking 31 historic actions in the “greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history,” which includes reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing (Technology Transition Rule). Under that rule, Section 608 (40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F specifically), individuals were prohibited from intentionally venting ozone-depleting substances (ODS) refrigerants and their substitutes, such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) while maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of air conditioning or refrigeration equipment.
“This was restricting the use of higher-GWP HFCs in new refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump (RACHP) equipment,” notes Tom Glass, Director of Marketing and Sales at Ice Air. “For stationary air conditioning and heat pumps, the requirement effectively ended the production of most comfort cooling systems containing the high-GWP refrigerant, R-410A, by that date.”
Glass says Ice Air had been moving aggressively to change out their manufacturing to the R32 refrigerant successfully already. While it is unclear what impact this “reconsideration” will have, there will certainly be questions as to how the new rule could affect future product development. Glass said that regardless of those question, Ice Air move aggressively toward maintaining the most efficient equipment in the market.
“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
For more information on Ice Air’s refrigerant changeout, contact Tom Glass.