Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc., participated in the International Council of Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Manufacturers’ Association (ICARHMA) Annual Meeting last month to join a panel discussion on refrigerants.

Panel participants, which included refrigerant manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers and Emerson representing components makers, discussed next generation low GWP refrigerants and HVAC industry imperatives.

Warren Beeton: urges focus on direct and indirect environmental effects of refrigerants.

According to ICARHMA, the purpose of the refrigerants panel was to provide information on and to generate discussion within ICARHMA Council Members about the current global political climate related to hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and potential successor refrigerants to HFCs.

Emerson engineering vice president, Warren Beeton, emphasized that next generation refrigerants should maintain the industry’s ability to meet increasing efficiency mandates, minimize total GHG emissions and maintain consumer affordability and safety. Beeton told the panel that the industry should focus on both direct and indirect environmental effects of refrigerants, looking at energy efficiency as the largest driver of emissions.

The meeting was hosted by the U.S. member to the Council, the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), which serves as the 2010 Secretariat. Attendees included representatives from Brazil (ABRAVA), Canada (HRAI), China (CRAA), Europe (EUROVENT), Japan (JRAIA) and Korea (KRAIA).