Aftermarket Insider Volume 64 - (Page 24)

i N S i D E L EG i S L AT i o N stAY Cool Retail Aftermarket Facing New Regulatory Battle over Vehicle A/C Refrigerants While it seems like the changeover to 134a just occurred, growing concerns regarding climate change could lead to another refrigerant change in the not-to-distant future. summer is around the corner and for the aftermarket that means the annual rebirth of vehicle air conditioning service. However, regulatory actions being contemplated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could mean future changes for companies that produce and sell vehicle air conditioning products targeted to the do-it-yourselfer. A key ingredient in air conditioning is the refrigerant, which for the past several years has been R-134a. R-12, also known as Freon, was the refrigerant of choice until the early nineties when concerns about ozone depletion led to its elimination under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. R-134a was considered a good substitute since it required few changes to vehicle air conditioning systems both on new vehicles and those already on the road. During the nineties, as the supply of R-12 diminished and increased in cost, many motorists that had older vehicles chose to retrofit their cars with R-134a rather than pay the high price for R-12. While it seems like the changeover to 134a just occurred, growing concerns regarding climate change could lead to another refrigerant change in the not-to-distant future. The reason for the upcoming change is that while R-134a does not impact stratospheric ozone, it does have a sizable global warming potential (GWP). GWP is measured on a relative scale, with Carbon Dioxide having a GWP of 1. R-134a has a GWP of 1,410, making it a substance of great concern for environmentalists and regulators. 24 | AFTERMARKET INSIDER | VOLUME 64 http://www.staycoolusa.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aftermarket Insider Volume 64

Aftermarket Insider Volume 64
Contents
President's Message
Knowledge Is Power
The Center of It All
Market Research
Association News
Member Profile
Toolbox
Campaign Update
International Focus
Technology Update
Company Profile
Inside Legislation
Market Research

Aftermarket Insider Volume 64