Based on the evidence he has seen to date, Ken Strong believes that HFOs will become the new mainstream refrigerants of choice for chillers in the next few years. For the past decade or so, HFC refrigerants have provided a safe and efficient option for use in chillers for air conditioning and process cooling. However, there is now a serious question mark over the future of HFCs due to their high Global Warming Potential.

The latest EU measures, published towards the end of last year, propose strict new controls on the use of high global warming refrigerants. If implemented as envisaged, this could seriously impact the ability of our industry to use some HFC options in the future. The situation is likely to come to a head in three to four years as the HFC phase-down begins to bite.