In response to stakeholder interest in products that contain lower GWP refrigerants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added new filters to its online ENERGY STAR product finders to highlight residential and commercial appliances that make use of lower-GWP refrigerants, which in most cases are hydrocarbons.
The 30-year-old ENERGY STAR program promotes energy efficiency by providing information on the energy consumption of products and devices. Highly efficient products are able to display the ENERGY STAR label validating their energy efficiency.
The filter is now available for residential refrigerators, residential freezers, room air conditioners, commercial ice machines, commercial refrigerators and freezers, vending machines, lab grade refrigerators and freezers, and clothes dryers that use heat pumps).
In every ENERGY STAR category but room air conditioners (which use R32 in the U.S.), virtually all listed high-efficiency appliances uses a hydrocarbon refrigerant, either propane (R290) or isobutane (R600a).
The EPA said it would add the lower-GWP filter to additional product finder pages as additional lower-GWP refrigerants are approved and are available in ENERGY STAR models.
“For ENERGY STAR product listings that do not currently include refrigerant information, brand owners may work with their certification body to update their listings with this information,” EPA said.
To complement the enhanced product listings, there is also new educational information for consumers on why to look for and buy products with lower-GWP refrigerants.
Suppliers of hydrocarbon appliances
The following is a list of product categories and examples of the manufacturers with ENERGY STAR appliances that use hydrocarbons:
Residential Refrigerators (all R600a):
Frigidaire, LG, Samsung, Sub-Zero, Viking, Twin Eagle, Marvel, Lynx, DCS, Liebherr, Dacor, Beko.
Residential Freezers (all R600a):
Whirlpool, WINIA, Beko, Sub-Zero, Samsung, Marvel, Bosch, Thermador, Frigidaire, Kenmore, Electrolux.
Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers:
R290: Delfield, Beverage-Air, Victory, QBD, ATOSA, North American Refrigeration, IDW, Everest Refrigeration.
R600a: Turbo Air, Kelvinator, Fogel, Imbera, Hoshizaki, IKON.
Commercial Ice Machines (all R290):
ICEDER, Padela, ATOSA, Blue Air, Manitowac, SAPPHIRE.
Vending Machines (all R290):
Sanden Vendor America, Crane Merchandising Systems.
Lab Grade Refrigerators and Freezers (all R290):
American BioTech Supply, Lab Research Products, DAI, Thermo Scientific, Cardinal Healthcare, Nor-Lake Scientific
Clothes Dryers with Heat Pumps (R290)
Bosch
“For ENERGY STAR product listings that do not currently include refrigerant information, brand owners may work with their certification body to update their listings with this information.”
U.S.EPA
Want to find out more, or have something to say about this story? Join the ATMO Connect network to meet and engage with like-minded stakeholders in the clean cooling and natural refrigerant arena.
