The challenge of change for building owners and managers

Conference · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:96187

Smithart, E ^[1]

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1. Trane Company, LaCrosse, WI (United States)

In the 1980s efficiency challenges presented to the HVAC industry and building managers in the 1970s, became even greater. The United Nations agreement called the Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, mandated that CFCs would have to be phased out of production by January 1, 1996 because of indications that CFCs were damaging the stratospheric ozone layer. Thus the industry was forced to find alternative refrigerant chemicals while developing the new equipment that could use the alternatives in an efficient way. After development of two major alternatives, HCFC-123 and HFC-134a, the HVAC industry had to develop new large air conditioners, called chillers, that could efficiently use the alternative refrigerants. Today, new chiller designs, working in concert with efficient building cooling systems, result in energy efficiencies far greater than could be attained only a few years ago. The new reality of the CFC production phase-out and better-than-ever chiller efficiency offer new opportunities to building managers to save money while protecting the environment by containing existing CFC stocks, converting selected existing chillers and replacing others with more efficient machinery. These opportunities underline the fact that being business-wise can also be earth-wise.

• OSTI ID: 96187
• Report Number(s): CONF-9506165--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR CONDITIONERS
AIR CONDITIONING
AVAILABILITY
BUILDINGS
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
REFRIGERANTS
RETROFITTING