Emerson Climate Technologies has taken on a higher profile in its role as a refrigerant and energy consultant for end users and HVACR contractors. In September-October, Emerson experts have presented papers and led refrigerant discussions at the following events: Food Marketing Institute 2011 Energy & Store Development Conference (Atlanta), International Congress of Refrigeration (Prague) and the Refrigeration and Airconditioning Manufacturers Association (India).

Emerson representatives also took part in the United Nations conference on the Montreal Protocol on global warming in August. In addition, Emerson is participating in AHRI’s industry-wide cooperative research program, Low GWP Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Program (AREP). In its role as an industry steward, Emerson’s emphasis on life cycle climate performance (LCCP) of refrigerants has been well-received in the industry.

“There is a lot of uncertainty and confusion in the market about how and when to transition from high GWP HFCs. Organizations have their own sustainability objectives and their own efficiency priorities,” said Rajan Rajendran, director of engineering services, Emerson Climate Technologies. “Our perspective is that selecting the lowest GWP alternative will not protect the climate if the refrigerant’s manufacturing and energy use create a negating carbon footprint. As we talk to industry groups there is confidence in our expertise and in the capacity of our products to work well with the refrigerant decisions they make in both commercial refrigeration and air conditioning.” Emerson’s global refrigerant message centers on performance, environmental issues and safety.

Emerson experts advise global industry leaders to look at refrigerants not just in terms of global warming potential (GWP) but also on energy consumption and refrigerant leakage to make evaluations and decisions based on LCCP and total equivalent warming impact (TEWI).