Alternatives to HCFCs in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector 48 S ection 02 2.1 The transition in the unitary and split air conditioning market Th is segment represents the largest number of systems using R-22. The annual global production is around 50 million “mini splits” a year, half of which are produced in China (BSRIA, 2009). This market was traditionally 100% R-22 but there has been a gradual change to R-410A and R-407C in this segment. For more than ten years, a wide range of non-ODS products have been available, but at a premium in terms of cost. Often the initial higher cost is more related to the enhanced energy efficiency than to the refrigerant. These systems are charged with refrigerant in the factory and will not result in consumption at the time of installation in an importing country, and thus will not affect the baseline consumption of 2009-2010. On the other hand, future consumption related to servicing can be expected to be significant during the phase out period after 2013. The consumption in the exporting country is obviously less of a problem from a compliance perspective as it usually contributes to a high baseline consumption that can be decreased by converting the manufacturers to alternative refrigerants, which is generally fairly easy. The phase out of production of split air conditioning equipment containing HCFCs gives the RAC equipment producing countries a significant quota to cover servicing needs whereas the importing countries need to take serious actions to avoid future shortages. In many Article 5 countries, this sector increases drastically with 10-30% increase per year, and due to a slightly lower cost and lack of awareness of future challenges, R-22 is often still the preferred option. The risk of quickly increasing the stock of installed R-22 in this segment will be a major challenge during the phase out period when the stock of equipment reaches an age when the leakage rate can be expected to rise. It is extremely difficult to raise the awareness of this sector as a standard split air conditioning unit often contains only 0.5 to 1.5 kg of refrigerant, and such units are owned by consumers, small businesses as well as hotels and other more professional operators. Companies that have a large number of units will be easier to target with information about different options and more capable to evaluate the competencies of technicians they hire for servicing. Awareness about the high leakage rates of some equipment, as well as of the need of taking the energy efficiency into account, can be improved by ensuring that technicians apply good servicing practices. The first target in this market segment should be to minimize or avoid the installation of new HCFC systems, because it will result in increased demand for HCFCs for servicing after the freeze period starts in 2013. Fig. 2.1 Service of a split system rarely includes recovery in most Article 5 countries. “Release, service and recharge” is common, but should be avoided. 2.1.1 the traransition in the unitary and split air conditioning market Su mmary Retrofit of R-22 to R-407C with oil chahange thrhrough forced flushing with R-22Split and unitary air conditioning systems are numerically the largest sector by far using R-22. In many markets, this sector has been increasing drastically in the last years, posing a significant challenge for the future since the systems are now new and can be expected to have average low leaks and limited service needs. After the freeze year 2013, the amount of refrigerant required to service these units can be expected to increase. The limitations on consumption can thus be expected to force a change of refrigerant in a significant number of these systems. There are two routes available if R-22 should be replaced: either to use the drop-in/service blends or to replace the refrigerant with R-407C and the existing oil with an ester oil. The service blends are perhaps the most commonly proposed route with the advantage of an easier recommended procedure that mainly involves the replacement of the refrigerant and filter drier.