Wilmington, Delaware --The Chemours Company has been selected by Johnson Controls to provide Opteon™ XL41 (R-454B) as the future refrigerant solution for their ducted residential and commercial HVAC products, as well as its air-cooled scroll chiller applications. This decision supports Johnson Controls sustainability goals in transitioning away from the use of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, such as R-410A, reinforcing their commitment to addressing climate change and lowering customers’ emissions. Chemours is a recognized leader in providing sustainable, low GWP refrigerant solutions - driving commercial readiness and the adoption of next-generation refrigerants in the HVACR industry.
Opteon™ XL41 is a low GWP (AR4: 466), non-ozone depleting refrigerant that offers a 78 percent reduction in GWP while improving energy efficiency and lowering charge size when compared to R-410A. This refrigerant offers manufacturers the ability to achieve their long-term carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction goals and requires minimal design modifications due to its similar operating temperature and pressure to R-410A. Opteon™ XL41 provides the optimal balance of performance, safety and longevity for future air conditioning applications.
“We are excited to assist Johnson Controls with meeting their customer needs by providing them a next-generation refrigerant solution that offers a lower GWP and improved energy efficiency for their future residential and commercial HVAC applications, as well as its air-cooled scroll chillers,” said Alisha Bellezza, president of Thermal & Specialized Solutions at Chemours. “Chemours is dedicated to partnering with our customers and the broader HVACR community with technologies that help achieve their sustainability goals while minimizing environmental impact to support the phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) in the United States.”
Chemours sources say future regulatory requirements on CO2 emission reduction will stimulate the transition to lower GWP refrigerants. Opteon™ XL41 has the lowest EPA SNAP1 approved GWP for unitary applications of all ASHRAE classified A2L (low-toxicity, mild flammability) refrigerants in the HVAC industry today - much lower than the pending 750 GWP limits being proposed. It is compatible with plastic and elastomer materials and POE oil that will minimize working capital design changes and enable an easier transition from a R-410A platform.
“After evaluating several low-GWP alternatives on a variety of performance and market metrics, such as safety, capacity, efficiency, reliability, availability and longevity, we’ve determined R-454B, sold by The Chemours Company as Opteon™ XL41, to be the best-in-class low-GWP refrigerant,” said Katie McGinty, vice president and chief sustainability, government and regulatory affairs officer, Johnson Controls. “This decision reinforces our continued commitment to developing solutions that help transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play, and advances our goal of helping our customers achieve a 16% reduction in emissions by 2030.”
This decision was made as the HVAC industry is preparing to phase out high-GWP refrigerants, which are now being formally addressed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the recently passed American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act2.
Chemours has been collaborating with industry partners to develop sustainable solutions that provide the performance today demands to achieve the goals of tomorrow. As part of the transition to support the regulatory mandates to phase down HFCs, Chemours will continue to offer cutting-edge technologies, education and ongoing training to value chain partners and the HVACR community.
1 Lowest GWP rating of EPA SNAP approved alternatives as of the publishing of this notice.
2 https://www.epa.gov/climate-hfcs-reduction/aim-act