Honeywell: Fluorinated gases with low global warming potential are

essential for RePowerEU

Industrial giant Honeywell is urging caution in the final revision of the

European Fluorinated Gases (F-Gases) regulation. The document is to be
approved in the coming weeks and will immediately become mandatory at
the level of the member states of the European Union. Honeywell believes
that phasing out the use of low-emission hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) in heat
pumps, air conditioners and other goods widely used in European homes
and businesses will have the unintended consequence of increased costs
and an adverse environmental impact, in contradiction with the objectives
proclaimed by the new European regulation.

Alternative industrial chemicals are preferred over proven fluorinated gas

solutions that are safe, energy efficient and have a low global warming
potential (GWP), Honeywell finds. In support of this position, the company's
press release states that "HFO contributes to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and improving energy efficiency without sacrificing the
performance of the final product." The company states that the use of
Honeywell Solstice technology alone has helped avoid the potential release
into the atmosphere of the equivalent of more than 326 million tons of
carbon dioxide, the equivalent of carbon emissions from nearly 70 million
gasoline passenger vehicles per year. It is presented, as an example, a
recently completed installation at a UK brewery, where energy efficiency
analysis showed that an HFO-based solution outperformed an industrial
alternative (ammonia) by 25% in terms of energy efficiency. The Imperium
cooling unit uses the very low GWP R-1234ze refrigerant, hydrofluoroolefin
(HFO). R-1234ze is slightly flammable and non-corrosive compared to
ammonia, which is toxic and, if leaked, can pose serious risks to human
health and food and beverage operations. In addition, HFO-based cooling
systems are more cost-effective due to standard design, manufacturing and
components that allow for routine maintenance. Ammonia requires
expensive stainless steel piping to withstand its corrosive properties,
additional maintenance and special devices fitted to monitor system safety.
More information HERE. Thus, HFO also offers better safety compared to
toxic ammonia and flammable propane, Honeywell claims.

What are the alternatives?

Honeywell's call comes on the heels of proposals to phase out or ban all
fluorinated gases, even those with low global warming potential and energy
efficiency, such as HFO hydrofluoroolefins, which are used from gas
pumps. heat and air conditioning units, to foams used in building
construction and renovation.
In the negotiations on the new fluorinated gas regulation, all three
institutions involved – the European Commission, the European Council
and the European Parliament – seem to have agreed on the idea of
introducing certification programs for relevant alternatives to fluorinated
greenhouse gases, including "natural refrigerants". These are non-synthetic
and naturally occurring substances, unlike synthetic refrigerants, which are
compounds created by chemists in the laboratory – CO2, ammonia and
hydrocarbons such as propane and isobutane. Beyond origin and efficiency
in use, a major difference between these refrigerants concerns their
potential impact on global warming (Global Warming Potential -GWP).
Studies show that CO2 has a GWP impact of 1, while ammonia, propane
and isobutane have even less impact than that. In contrast, two of the most
popular synthetic refrigerants globally are R410A and R32 with a GWP of
2,100 and 771, respectively, calculated over a 100-year period. More
information HERE.
That is why supporters of "natural refrigerants" promote these solutions,
citing environmental protection and reduction of global warming.

HFO's role in REPowerEU

To achieve the same goals – protecting the environment and reducing
global warming, Honeywell urges caution in regulation.
Heat pumps are an important part of the European Union's REPowerEU
plan, which calls for 60 million heat pumps to be installed in Member States
by 2030. HFOs are a safe, proven and energy-efficient product that is vital
for the implementation of tens of millions of heat pumps in Europe. In
addition, HFOs are used in areas important to society beyond the area of
heat pumps. From heating and cooling buildings, to metered dose inhalers
and more, HFOs offer safe and proven options.
If effective bans on all fluorinated gases were to be implemented, this ban
would add major cost pressures to consumers and businesses across
Europe and jeopardize the achievement of European climate targets.
Without options like HFO, the European Union will simply not be able to
achieve the ambitious climate action and energy independence targets set
out in the Commission's Green Deal proposals, the Fit for 55 legislative
package and the REPowerEU plan alongside its climate targets .
“Heat pump technology will help households and businesses achieve
dramatic reductions in energy consumption,” points out Julien Soulet, vice
president and general manager, Fluorine Products, Europe, Middle East
and Africa, Honeywell Advanced Materials. "This will reduce emissions and
lower the cost of heating and cooling homes and commercial spaces, from
factories to shops and hotels. We need all available solutions to meet
Europe's ambitious climate goals, and this includes HFO. [...] It would be a
dangerous outcome if, in the pursuit of cleaner air, greater energy efficiency
and a better quality of life for all who live in or visit Europe, we impede
these very goals,
HFO is used as a refrigerant for vehicles, commercial and residential air
conditioning applications, heat pumps, insulation blowing agents, aerosol
propellants, solvents for cleaning solutions, and is being evaluated for use
in metered dose inhalers. In foams, HFOs exhibit superior thermal
performance, outstanding strength and stiffness, and long-lasting water
resistance properties. All of these factors are important for building
maintenance and renovation, and their alternatives do not offer the same
level of performance.
Banning the use of HFO in refrigeration could add €10-30 billion in
electricity costs in the European supermarket sector alone, due to the lower
energy efficiency of alternatives, which require systems to work harder,
thus consuming more energy. It could also have the unintended
consequence of adding up to 24 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e)
to environmental emissions - the equivalent of nearly 4.7 million petrol cars
driven for a year, Honeywell has calculated .

Why now
Trilateral talks between the European Commission, the European Council
and the European Parliament are coming to an end. In the coming weeks,
the final form of the Regulation is expected, which will immediately become
binding for the member states and will become the basis of additional
regulation for them. Some states, such as Germany, are already preparing
measures in the same direction.
The European Commission, the European Council and the European
Parliament agree to support the use mainly of "natural refrigerants" and to
include among fluorinated gases hydrofluoroolefins too, although they have
a much lower global warming impact (GWP).
Measures to gradually reduce the use of fluorinated gases are still under
negotiation, and Parliament even supports their complete elimination by
2050.
Heat pumps are a tough bargain. The Commission proposed a ban to enter
into force on 1 January 2025 on plug-in room air conditioners and heat
pumps and other stand-alone air conditioners and heat pumps containing
fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or higher. The Council
has come up with a more nuanced proposal, and Parliament is pushing for
the complete phase-out of fluorinated greenhouse gases from 1 January
2026, arguing that there are mature alternatives to the technology.
The impact of the Regulation will be enormous, taking into account the
scope of the areas to be affected, as well as the relatively short
implementation deadlines. In addition, the Regulation considers not only
the use, maintenance and decommissioning of equipment, but also imports
and exports of products and equipment involving fluorinated gases, with a
considerable commercial and economic impact.