How can the HVAC industry reduce its carbon footprint?

As a supplier of refrigerants, our products are used all over the world for a range of applications. Maintaining the highest air quality is faced with challenges, the largest one being the environmental impact of the industry. We discuss the ways the industry has committed to protecting the environment by reducing its carbon footprint.

Technology

While many businesses have slashed budgets in 2020 due to COVID-19, some have strengthened their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint by investing in technology and procedures that will have a long term impact.

Innovations at the start of the chain push manufacturers to develop technology that keeps up with the future-proof refrigerants used in their vehicles.

Recently, one of our customers, a leading name in the automotive industry, announced that it has modified its own vehicle technology to improve air quality and reduce energy consumption. The smart technology features intelligent battery sensors, which deactivates when the system is not in use for a long period of time or if outside temperature is low. Inbuilt technology such as this has a huge impact on reducing unnecessary wastage of energy, and is likely to become commonplace in the automotive industry.

Pairing our low GWP products with this technology is a recipe for massively reducing carbon output, and will ensure that end users are able to have a wide option of low GWP vehicles without compromising on quality.

Maintenance

As part of the structure of a building, HVAC systems often go ignored unless they break. However, they play a vital role in ensuring quality air movement, providing fresh air to the building’s inhabitants.

Without proper maintenance, it’s possible for contaminants to build up in a HVAC system, making the indoor air much less clean than outdoors. This can have a dangerous impact on people living with asthma and COPD, especially if it’s a residential building or workplace that they spend most of their time in.

A clogged system will be unable to cool the air, unnecessarily pumping out hot air instead which has a negative impact on the environment.

To save on costs, many people don’t call for maintenance unless they see a problem, but booking in regular checks to change filters, check the system and remove build up is a preventative measure that can make a huge difference to the quality of air in a building.

Working with end users

The HVAC community can only do so much – it’s the end user that needs to really make use of the technology by implementing it in their own initiatives.

The UK Green Building Council is pushing for net zero buildings to be commonplace. The process of delivering a net zero building follows a set framework, which starts in the construction and operational energy of the building, and ends with offsetting carbon and publicly disclosing this for the building owner to hold itself responsible for its output.

Innovation

HVAC technology is only as good as the refrigerants it contains, which is why the refrigerant industry needs to take responsibility and lead the HVAC chain in the right direction. Koura has done this by producing an innovative range of Klea development refrigerants which are set to future proof the industry.

LFR3 is under development as a high-pressure refrigerant, similar in its technology to CO2 but  is designed to offer a much better performance than CO2. Compared to CO2, LFR3 aims to deliver 15-20 percent higher energy efficiency and up to 20 percent lower operating pressure, making it much more cost effective and better for the environment, which is very important for our customers who are looking to reduce their own carbon footprint.

And we’re working on another innovative next gen refrigerant with a low GWP of just 285, our innovative next-gen refrigerant is compatible with end users who are working towards a net zero building. As a future-proof product, it offers a similar operating pressure to R-410a, ensuring the high quality performance customers are accustomed to.

To find out more about our range of development refrigerants and order a free sample, please contact your regional sales team.