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Replacement Refrigerants (R22)

3 August 2008

Refrigerant R22 was commonly used in air conditioning equipment throughout the 1990s. It is, however, a class of refrigerant known as HCFCs or hydrochlorofluorocarbons which are known to have serious ozone layer depleting properties and whose use in new equipment was banned a number of years ago.

The European Ozone Depleting Substances regulation of 2000 explains the restrictions on new equipment and states that "There will be a ban on the use of virgin HCFCs for service work from 1st January 2010 and a ban on the use of all HCFCs, including recycled materials, from 1 January 2015."

Some users are already replacing existing R22 equipment with equipment operating with one of the more environmentally friendly refrigerants. However there is an alternative in some cases. At Oakwood we have carried out a number of successful conversions of existing R22 equipment to use modern environmentally friendly refrigerants. We have worked closely with a major hotel group to successfully convert existing R22 VRV systems to a modern non- ozone depleting alternative. These conversions have been operating successfully trouble free for 2 years and have been closely monitored, showing no deterioration in performance or energy efficiency.

In another instance we have worked closely with the engineering department of a UK university to convert split system air conditioners of various makes from R22 to a modern non- ozone depleting alternative. This again has been very successful, showing no deterioration in performance and a modest improvement in energy efficiency.

If you have R22 equipment you would like to consider converting from R22 we will be happy to discuss the options with you.

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