According to a recent survey by the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), 2001 marks the halfway point for CFC replacement and conversion. Of the 80,000 CFC chillers in service in the early 1990s, 39,440 will have been replaced or converted by year's end. To break down this further, in 2001, the projection is for 452 conversions and 3,324 replacements. Projections for 2002 and 2003 are 372 and 43,245 and 312 and 47,115, respectively (Figure 1).
According to Ed Dooley, vice president of communications and education with ARI, although the number of replacements and conversions is slower than previously anticipated, the figures are holding steady with last year's pace. Shipments in 2000 were up 18% over 1999 levels. Dooley expects this trend to continue this year despite the slowing economy.