Aircon Refrigerants
Aircon Repair
June 30, 2023
Aircon Pipes
June 3, 2023
Air Conditioning (AC) Refrigerants
Moving away from HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons)
The 1987 Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol is a global agreement to protect the ozone layer by controlling, reducing and ultimately eliminating global emissions of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). A binding time-frame for ending production, consumption and trade of ODS.
Singapore is been a party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer since 1989. ODS controlled by the Montreal Protocol are regulated by NEA under the EPMA & EPM Regulations. As an Article-5 Party to the Montreal Protocol, Singapore is obliged to implement control measures to freeze the consumption of HCFCs since 1 Jan 2013 and to completely phase out HCFCs by 1 Jan 2030.
The Phase-Out Plan and its implication to Aircon Refrigerant used in Singapore’s Residential Aircon
Aircon using R22 are no longer being produced for the Singapore market and the import of R22 to Singapore will be ban by 2030.
Aircon using R410A was no longer be produced for Singapore in 2022. Eventually, the import of R410A to Singapore will come to an end as well.
The future is towards R32, a single-component refrigerant.
Why R32
Each refrigerant has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) with carbon, GWP of 1, as the reference base.
R32, with GWP of 675, is two-thirds less than R410A which has a GWP of 2,088. A GWP of 2,088 means that for one kg released into the atmosphere, it has 2,088 times harmful effect of one kg of carbon.
Globally, there is a transition to the refrigerant, R32, which is driven by the primary factor of impact of GWP on the environment. R32 has the added benefits of energy efficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness.
The benefits of R32
• Has a low GWP of 675
• Affordable and readily available
• Use lesser refrigerant volume per KwI
• Has zero ozone depleting potential (ODP)
• Ideal for the next generation of equipment
• Offers higher efficiency and longer pipe runs
R32 is a single component refrigerant which is easier to reuse and to recycle. It utilises similar technology as its counterparts in its handling and is relatively inexpensive to produce.
R32 is low- toxic, difficult to ignite and does not explode. Combustion will not occur unless three critical conditions are met, refrigerant concentration, constant oxygen and an ignition source. Under most normal circumstances, it is hard to meet all the three combustion conditions.
*Information obtained from the NEA website.
The voluntary label for climate-friendly refrigerants enable consumers to identify and select air-conditioner models that use climate-friendly refrigerants.
*Ban on supply of RAC equipment that use high-GWP refrigerants from Q4 2022
NEA will also be progressively phasing out RAC equipment that use high-GWP refrigerants.
NEA will ban the supply of the following RAC equipment in Singapore from Q4 2022 as there are climate-friendly alternatives:
• Household air-conditioners that use refrigerants with GWP of more than 750;
• Household refrigerators that use refrigerants with GWP of more than 15; and
• Water-cooled chillers that use refrigerants with GWP of more than 15.
[1] Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of the warming effect of a gas relative to the warming effect of an equivalent mass of CO2, usually over a 100-year time horizon.
[2] The label can be affixed on 1) household air-conditioners that use refrigerants with GWP ≤ 750 (i.e. R32 models), and 2) household refrigerators that use refrigerants with GWP ≤15 (i.e. R600a models). About 10 per cent of registered air-conditioner models in Singapore use refrigerants that are climate-friendly, while majority of the registered refrigerator models in Singapore already use a climate-friendly refrigerant. The list of household air-conditioners and refrigerators can be found on www.go.gov.sg/mels-database
[3] The ban would effectively phase out the sales of household air-conditioner models using the R410A refrigerant (GWP of 1,924), and refrigerator models using the R134a refrigerant (GWP of 1,300). In comparison, climate-friendly alternatives R32 (for air-conditioners) and R600a (for refrigerators) have GWPs of 677 and 3 respectively.
[4] Of capacity equal to or more than 1055kW and used for air-conditioning purposes.
[5] The typical refrigerant used in chillers is R134a, which has a GWP of 1,300. The climate-friendly alternative is R1233zd, which has a GWP of 1.
