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| HVAC
INDUSTRY NEWS |
U.S.
Air Conditioner Manufacturers Respond to Reports of R-22
Smuggling.
Arlington, VA — The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and
Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) President and CEO Stephen
Yurek today responded to what he termed “several
inaccuracies” in a September 8, 2012, article in the New
York Times on smuggling, primarily from China, of
hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerant (typically
referred to as R-22 or HCFC-22).
The purpose of the article was to shed light on the
issue of refrigerant smuggling from developing nations,
where such refrigerants are plentiful and cheap, to the
United States and other areas of the world, where
restrictions stemming from the implementation of the
Montreal Protocol make them less abundant, and thus more
expensive. Rather than focusing on ways law enforcement
might combat illegal importation of R-22, however, the
article laid the blame at the feet of air conditioner
manufacturers, attributing demand for R-22 “to the
reluctance of manufacturers to step up development of
more environmentally friendly machines.”
Not only have manufacturers developed refrigerant-using
equipment such as central air conditioners and heat
pumps that are more than twice as efficient as those
meeting the federal minimum standard that existed in
2005, Yurek said, but all U.S. manufacturers had
equipment available in the market that used non-ozone
depleting refrigerants for over a decade before the
January 2010 phase-out of R-22 required by the Montreal
Protocol and implemented by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
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“The EPA
rules governing the latest major step in the Montreal
Protocol phase out of R-22 were not released until mere
weeks before they were to go into effect,” Yurek
explained. “Even so,” he said, “our manufacturers had
already prepared to cease producing all R-22 units by
the deadline.” However, in a shock to the industry, the
EPA rules did not contain a complete ban on the
manufacturing of new equipment using R-22, but allowed
continued production of R-22 equipment, as long as it
was not charged with R-22 until installed in the field.
AHRI and its members immediately petitioned EPA to
remove this provision and ban the manufacture of new
equipment using R-22. EPA has yet to act on this request
and the provision remains.
“Therefore, the New York Times article’s implication
that manufacturers are to blame is wrong and
misdirected. There are thousands of products available
in the market that contain non-ozone depleting
refrigerants at efficiency levels at and significantly
higher than the federal minimums. The demand for R-22
equipment cannot be laid at the feet of manufacturers,”
Yurek said. “If the EPA rules had been released in a
timely manner and if the EPA had banned the manufacture
of new equipment using R-22 as everyone intended and
expected, this situation would not exist today,” Yurek
added.
Finally, Yurek decried the article’s implication that
manufacturers violate U.S. law to ensure greater access
to R-22. “It is outrageous for the New York Times to
suggest, without a shred of evidence, that manufacturers
are in any way involved with the use of smuggled
refrigerants,” he said. “Our member companies have
always strictly abided by U.S. law and will continue to
do so. Any allegation to the contrary is completely
without merit,” he added.
About AHRI
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration
Institute (AHRI) is the trade association representing
manufacturers of air conditioning, heating, commercial
refrigeration, and water heating equipment. An
internationally recognized advocate for the industry,
AHRI develops standards for and certifies the
performance of many of these products. AHRI’s 309 member
companies manufacture quality, efficient, and innovative
residential and commercial air conditioning, space
heating, water heating, and commercial refrigeration
equipment and components for sale in North America and
around the world.
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