A recent POLITICO article explains the critical role fluorinated gases (“F-gases”) play – and will continue to play – as we transition away from fossil fuels and toward more sustainable solutions. 

Earlier this fall, globalFACT Executive Director Jordan Smith wrote an op-ed in ACHR News about why the HVACR industry should feel good about low-GWP HFCs and HFOs. The reasons are straightforward, and were reiterated in POLITICO this month: 

“F-gases are the superior alternatives for thermal management as they offer a unique combination of sustainability, safety and performance in critical applications… [F-gases] continue to underpin our modern world and improve our daily lives.” 

Moreover, F-gases are here to stay for the long-term, despite baseless claims that so-called “natural refrigerants” such as propane and ammonia are superior alternatives. Here’s why: 

• The European Commission stated that propane is not a viable replacement due to “safety concerns.” Using propane also means “extending our dependence on fossil fuels and, in general, leads to lower energy efficiency.” 
• Ammonia, another so-called “natural refrigerant”, presents “significant health risks – corrosive to the skin, eyes, and lungs.” Exposure to a tiny amount is “immediately dangerous to life and health, and it’s also flammable in low concentrations.” 

globalFACT is proud to contribute to a thoughtful and fact-based approach to evaluating the cooling solutions of the future, which includes F-gases.