S R C C Alternatives to H F s in the efrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector ection 01 15 1.2 HCFCs used in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector Su mmary HCFCs use in the RAC sector HCFCs are widely used over the entire industrial and commercial refrigeration sector including for food processing, distribution, storage and retail (shops and supermarkets). In air conditioning, HCFCs have played a dominant role in unitary-, split- and chiller- type systems for air conditioning in private homes, hotels, office buildings, restaurants and other public buildings. R -22 is by far the most commonly-used HCFC in this sector. Other HCFCs such as R-124 and R-123 have been used in smaller quantities for special applications. Still other HCFCs such as HCFC-141b and HCFC-142b have been used as blowing agents in refrigeration equipment insulation after the phase out of CFCs, sometimes in mixtures with R-22. R efrigeration and air conditioning equipment is globally one of the sectors with the highest electrical power consumption. The rapid growth in this sector in many countries will result in a need to expand power production and distribution systems. The energy consumption of countries in this sector also contributes significantly to global warming. With the expected requirements in the global agreements on reduction of green house gases the emissions of refrigerants such as HCFCs and HFCs as well as energy consumption in this sector will play a significant role in whether these agreements achieve its targets. Aside from being one of the major ODS-consuming sectors the refrigeration and air conditioning sector (RAC) including heat pumps and dehumidifiers, also uses 15% to 20% (IIR, 2002) of global electrical energy. The economic growth in many Article 5 countries in hot climates results in a corresponding growth of the RAC sector. The applications where HCFCs are used are important to reduce the losses in the food production and distribution chain. There are also many applications that are essential for industrial production and human comfort where HCFCs play an important role today. The growth will result in increasing energy consumption if measures to improve efficiency – including the introduction of more energy-efficient technologies - are not implemented effectively/appropriately. There are well-proven technologies available to replace HCFCs with non-ozone depleting substances as well as to improve energy efficiency in all refrigeration and air conditioning applications. Alternatives such as HFCs can be used with minimal changes to the existing technology, but have a high GWP. Refrigerants with a low or zero GWP should be the preferred solution when they can be used in a safe and cost-effective manner without resulting in higher energy consumption. High GWP refrigerants should only be used when technical, economic or safety reasons require them, and in such cases they should be used in systems with minimized leakage and emissions during service and at the end of equipment life. HCFC is also used as feedstock for the production of plastics and other chemicals. When replacing HCFCs it is important to evaluate the environmental impact of the alternatives since the most common replacements are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which have a significant Global Warming Potential. The impact of alternative refrigerants and the energy consumption of selected system solutions should also be evaluated to minimize their total impact on the environment. Adopting measures to reduce the refrigeration and air conditioning loads through good building design and processes are obviously the most efficient way of reducing the environmental impact of these technologies.