Daikin's 32 Reasons to Choose R32 Refrigerant

In 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised section 608 of the Clean Air Act to prohibit individuals and businesses from knowingly venting refrigerants containing ozone-depleting refrigerants, like HCFC-22, and their substitutes, including hdrofluorocarbons (HFCs) like R-410A.  Since that revision, the commercial HVAC industry worked tirelessly to come up with alternatives. 

Daikin Applied, along with Amana and Goodman, have opted to utilize R32 refrigerant as a viable alternative to the refrigerants deemed unacceptable by the EPA.  They have since come up with the 32 Reasons campaign to choose R32.  The campaign allows that there are at least 32 reasons to choose R32.  In a nutshell, here are the first 10 reasons of 32 to choose R32.

1. R32 is up to 12 times more efficient that R-410A, an industry standard for many years.

2. The efficiency and capacity of R32 allows for lightweight units in some applications.

3. R32 is better for the planet.  It has a significantly lower total lifecycle refrigerant impact than 410A. 

4. R32 can be charged and topped off in the field, making it easier to work with than some alternatives.

5. Over 100 million R32 units have been safely deployed globally.

6. Non-proprietary R32 is available from multiple suppliers.

7. R32 has a lower price per pound than R410A and a significantly lower price per pound than most proprietary low GWB blends.

8. R32 is not a blend, but rather a single component refrigerant, making it easier to clean, reuse, recover, and reclaim over blends.

9. R32 is widely available.

10. Since the efficiency and capacity of R32 allows for lighter units, they are easier to install.

Before choosing R32 refrigerant, Daikin assessed a variety of refrigerants like HFO, R32, blends, natural refrigerants and more based on a set of four criteria.  They reviewed key properties of each refrigerant to determine overall environmental impact, energy efficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness. According to Daikin, they concluded that R-32 is a better refrigerant than others for direct expansion type cooling and heating equipment including single package products.

I encourage all building owners and engineers to learn more about why Daikin chose R32 refrigerants over others and how the choice of R32 for your building projects could positively impact you and others.

Information for the blog post from Daikin Applied and 32 Reasons.com