Over the past several decades, there has been a shift to reduce global warming and the usage of environmentally harmful refrigerants like HFCs. With the recent enactment of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act signed into law in December 2020, this shift has taken a significant step forward. Learn how the ComStar Low-GWP Refrigerants will help you meet the regulation standards not only for today but also for years to come.
What Is the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act?
The legislation was passed into law on December 27, 2020, and is a significant step towards addressing the issue of global warming and the harmful effect of high-GWP (global warming potential) refrigeration solutions. The AIM Act has established initial benchmarks for reducing the production and consumption of HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) and CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) refrigerants by 85% by 2036 and extensively reducing damage to the ozone layer.
It is difficult to predict how the EPA will implement and regulate this phasedown, but it is likely to come in a combination of the three approaches below:
Allowances on total production and usage of HFC technology
Banning high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants in certain equipment or applications
Restricting high-GWP virgin refrigerants in the service of existing systems
Table 1. AIM Act Reduction Benchmarks for Production and Consumption of High GWP Refrigerants
How Does the AIM Act Affect Me and My Company?
It is hard to give a specific answer to this question as it relies on the type of refrigerants being used, the systems involved, the construction of the legislative guidelines, and the concern of enforcement rules. We can assume the AIM Act will make a few high-level impacts on businesses using high-GWP refrigeration.
GWP mandate levels will be announced and will require businesses to remain below these values or be subject to penalties.
The acceptable GWP level will reduce on a cadence that supports the reduction benchmarks of 40% by 2024-2028, 70% by 2029-2033, 80% by 2034-2035, and 85% by 2036 and beyond.
These factors will require a replacement in the high-GWP refrigerant being used and may or may not involve larger and more expensive equipment and system updates or replacements.
Why Use a ComStar RS Refrigerant?
ComStar is at the forefront of manufacturing eco-friendly refrigerants ideal for replacing harmful or high-GWP technologies. The RS series of refrigerants is a unique combination of ultra-low global warming potential values with incredible ease of use and replacement of legacy CFCs or HCFCs used in refrigeration that contribute heavy damage to the ozone layer.
Drop-In
Replacement
The ComStar RS Series of eco-friendly refrigerants allow for quick and easy replacement of common high GWP refrigerants including R-22, R-404A, R-410A, R-507 and more. In most cases, these changes can be made without required system updates or exchanging the lubricants.
Long-Term Low-GWP Solutions
The ComStar RS product line provides low-GWP refrigerants compared to legacy HCFCs, CFCs, and other common refrigerant solutions. Switching to ComStar now will help you meet low-GWP mandate levels for decades to come and will not require additional costly replacements to keep up with the decreasing GWP and ozone-protecting thresholds.