Replacement and Conversion of CFC Chillers Slower Than Expected Assuring Steady Demand for Non-CFC Units for a Decade
Manufacturers of chillers used for comfort cooling in buildings replaced or converted 2,753 units that use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants during 2004, leaving an estimated 33,300 chillers still using CFCs. The use of CFC refrigerants in new equipment was banned under the Montreal Protocol at the end of 1995 due to concerns about CFCs eroding the Earth's ozone layer.
ARI's annual survey of chiller manufacturers showed that building owners in the United States, as of January 1, 2005, had replaced or converted 46,703 units, or 58%, of the 80,000 CFC chillers in use at the end of 1995.