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Refrigerants and the environment

What’s in the pipes, and the bigger picture.

7 guides · about 20 minutes of reading

  1. 01Refrigerants explainedA refrigerant is the fluid that carries heat around an air conditioner, boiling to absorb it and condensing to release it. Refrigerants differ in their pressures, efficiency, flammability and effect on the climate, which is why the choice matters.3 min read
  2. 02R32 refrigerantR32 is the refrigerant in most new wall-mounted systems. It carries heat efficiently, usually needs less of it than R410A, and has about a third of R410A's global warming potential. It is mildly flammable, so it's handled with specific precautions.3 min read
  3. 03Global warming potential explainedGlobal warming potential (GWP) compares how much a gas warms the climate with the same mass of carbon dioxide, usually over 100 years. A refrigerant's GWP shows how much harm a leak would do, and it underpins the rules on refrigerants.3 min read
  4. 04Older refrigerants: R22 and R410AR22 damages the ozone layer and can no longer be used to service equipment, so a leaking R22 system usually means replacement. R410A is still widely used and can be serviced, but its high global warming potential means most new systems use R32.3 min read
  5. 05Natural refrigerants and R290Natural refrigerants such as propane (R290) and carbon dioxide occur in nature and have a very low global warming potential. R290 is efficient but highly flammable, which limits how much can be used in room-sized systems.2 min read
  6. 06Air conditioning and carbon emissionsAn air conditioner's effect on the climate comes from two places: the electricity it uses, and its refrigerant if it leaks. Using less electricity, running it when the grid is cleaner and keeping the system leak-free all reduce it.3 min read
  7. 07Removing and disposing of an old systemAn old split system has to be taken out by a qualified engineer, who recovers the refrigerant before anything is disconnected. The units then go for recycling as electrical waste, and the holes and fixings left behind need making good.3 min read