In the News

March 2024 — NY DEC Completes Comment Period on Proposed Part 494

In December 2023 the Department of Environmental Conservation announced draft regulations to reduce hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions. (See DEC’s overview here.) Among other things, the proposed regulations would backstop EPA regulations, guide large commercial stores to substantial energy savings, require automatic leak detection systems for large users of indoor systems, and encourage the use of reclaimed refrigerants. Here’s the comment letter submitted by the Environmental Investigation Agency, the comment letter submitted by New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management, and an article on the hearings published by ATMOsphere. The Regulatory Impact Analysis found these regulations would result in a net cost benefit to New York businesses and would greatly reduce HFC emissions for the state’s 2050 greenhouse gas emissions target. Several NY4Cool members also made oral comments at the March 13th virtual hearings. The comment period closed on March 19th.

In October 2023 the EPA announced broad new regulations for HFCs

The three main parts cover: 1) the HFC phase down through allocation allowances; 2) technology transitions (which sets dates by which high-GWP refrigerants can no longer be used in specific applications); 3) reducing leaks and maximizing reclamation.  Check out the EPA’s Frequent Questions on the Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons for a thorough overview.

EIA Report: F-Gases at the Fenceline

The Environmental Investigation Agency released a new investigative report,  F-Gases at the Fenceline: Exposing the Fluorochemical Production Sector’s Undisclosed Emissions. It turns out, the factories that produce refrigerants emit many high GWP chemicals that are used as feedstocks or are created as byproducts. These emissions occur even when they are creating HFOs, which in and of themselves have very low GWP. Check out the report to learn about the size of this problem and EIA’s proposed solutions.

Climate Smart Communities and Refrigerant Management Programs

The NY DEC Climate Smart Communities program has announced a new high impact action for CSC task forces to earn points by establishing a Refrigerant Management Program. Check out the details here. 

DEC announces 2022 Climate Smart Communities grants of $11.6 million, including grants related to refrigerant management: 

$2.0 million given to the Town of Amherst for Northtown Center Ice Rink refrigeration upgrades: The town of Amherst will replace an existing refrigeration system at the Northtown Center. The existing chiller at the north-end ice plant will be replaced with a climate-friendly carbon dioxide chiller capable of servicing two ice rinks. Due to greater energy efficiency, the project expects greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 1,082 tons and energy savings of $193,714 annually.

$50,000 given to City of Kingston for a citywide refrigerant management program: The city of Kingston will develop a municipal refrigerant management plan, including an implementation program, to address the city's purchasing, management, and disposal of refrigerants. The project aims to educate staff about the dangers of refrigerants to the climate as well as reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerant sources.

A $269,688 Climate Smart Communities Grant has been awarded to the Town of Saugerties for the Kiwanis Ice Arena Air-Cooled Chiller Project

It will replace an outdated R-134a chiller with a new, more efficient and cost effective, environmentally friendly chiller that uses R717 ammonia refrigerant.

NYSERDA publishes first HFC inventory for New York State

The long-awaited New York State HFC Inventory report from Guidehouse is out and has been posted on NYSERDA’s website. You can find a copy at the bottom of this web page.

A recent story from the UK:  Heat pumps need legal installation standards

The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) has called for a legally enforced minimum qualification for all heat pump installations in the UK. There is a strong movement afoot to support beneficial electrification here in New York, including switching heating over to heat pumps, but there are environmental, financial and safety concerns when installations are done poorly. This article from the UK points out issues we should also be considering in New York.

A recent story from the UK: Refrigerant leak detection added to Daikin monitoring system.

The new leak detection capabilities are based on a new Daikin-developed software algorithm. It uses historical data to activate an alarm in the event of a potential leakage and to report on occurrences and frequency over time, allowing users to have a complete overview of the events occurred over up 12 months, and then, allowing users to take action and set preventive measures if needed.

Inside Climate News - Phil McKenna

Phil McKenna is a Boston-based reporter for Inside Climate News. Before joining ICN in 2016, he was a freelance writer covering energy and the environment for publications including The New York Times, Smithsonian, Audubon and WIRED. Uprising, a story he wrote about gas leaks under U.S. cities, won the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award and the 2014 NASW Science in Society Award. Phil has a master’s degree in science writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was an Environmental Journalism Fellow at Middlebury College.

Phil’s most recent post: EPA Targets Potent Greenhouse Gases, Bringing US Into Compliance With the Kigali Amendment. The new rule mandates a phasing down of hydrofluorocarbons, but raises new pollution concerns in a community where the most potent gas, HFC-23, will be incinerated.