Posted on 12/27/2024 4:44:13 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
The new year will ring in new “green” requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency for heating and air conditioning units that threaten to raise prices and, for the first time, require flammable refrigerants in residential and commercial HVAC units.
The new rule has triggered special training requirements for technicians and fire departments as they grapple with dealing with the possibility of HVAC systems catching fire, although testing shows the risk under most circumstances is low.
“It’s certainly a unique challenge. We’re trying to balance environmental considerations with fire safety in this particular instance,” said Robin Zevotek, an engineer at the National Fire Protection Association.
The NFPA offers a training course to help the fire service handle the “unique challenges presented by these new refrigerants,” which, under certain circumstances, could catch on fire more easily than the nonflammable refrigerants the EPA is phasing out.
Beginning Jan. 1, manufacturers can no longer build heating, ventilation and air conditioning units that use a nonflammable refrigerant known as R-410A, a hydrofluorocarbon that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change if it leaks from equipment into the atmosphere.
Instead, manufacturers must build new systems that can accommodate a hydrofluoroolefins refrigerant that is slightly flammable but considered less of a danger to the climate than hydrofluorocarbons, which the Biden administration has sought to largely ban by 2036.
Consumers purchasing equipment will face price increases that HVAC companies say will come with the new EPA requirements.
Some companies anticipate price increases of up to 30% on HVAC systems due to the cost of new equipment, added training and longer installation and servicing times. The cost of the refrigerant is also likely to be higher, companies warned.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
What will the think of next?
When do these get installed at the EPA?
Safe and effective.
The end goal for all this environmentalism is for us to all be living around a campfire in a stone age again.
Y’all first or STFU
This is something that I’ve been aware of being on the way for more than a year. The industry is *not* ready for this changeover based on my conversations with full time professionals in the space. This is a big deal for anyone who needs a new HVAC system. Things are really screwed up right now due to Greenie overregulation.
Maybe when Trump comes in, he can put a kibosh on it.
The freezer that I recently bought uses propane as the refrigerant (as do most if not all units now), no problems so far, so you have that. Not sure what this replacement refrigerant is, but the claim of ‘slightly flammable’ obviously doesn’t apply to propane.
To help with the lying press. These are not laws, they are regulations unsupported by current law. These odious regulations will be reversed.
When does Chevron Deference come into effect?
So in some circumstances the risk could be high. Just wonderful.
You don't need to be a genius to recognize that this environmental religion is beyond the pale; it has jumped the shark, and shot its wad. High insanity.
Just another FedGov agency that wants to kill us.
“The new year will ring in new “green” requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency...”
No it won’t.
Didn’t the Supremes just rule on this very thing?
Doubling down on stupid.
Is this an EPA regulation? I’d expect Trump’s EPA chief to dismantle the regulation immediately - but of course the next Democrat in the WH will reinstate it. The only long-term solution here is a law bounding and restricting EPA regulations. Thune and Johnson need to work on that, instead of posting on social media about things they can do nothing about.
My AC guy says parts will no longer be available for my older units. He will not be able to repair the units. I will have to replace them. The suction lines from the air handler to the compressor must be replaced with larger lines.
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