UL Fosters Refrigerant Compliance With U.S. Clean Air Act Through Industry Collaboration

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, UL announced three important initiatives to help the appliance, heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industries in their journey towards compliance with the U.S. Clean Air Act's criteria for ozone-friendly products. Anticipating introduction of flammable refrigerants in appliances and leveraging its role as a safety standards developer, UL is facilitating a comprehensive review by stakeholders of the readiness of the U.S. safety system for the use of these alternative refrigerants. An important component of meeting this need is understanding safety-risks associated with the installation, use, servicing and disposal of appliances having flammable refrigerants, including hydrocarbons (HC).  

On Jan. 11, UL hosted a "Flammable Refrigerant Stakeholder Forum" with influential representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), fire and mechanical code committees, industry associations, installation and product safety standards committees and other stakeholders to discuss the impact of significant market penetration of flammable refrigerants in non-industrial applications, and to identify gaps in current codes and safety standards.

"We are pleased that UL took the lead in organizing this much needed forum," said Cindy Newberg, EPA Branch Chief. "It fostered dialogue among a broad range of stakeholders as the use of hydrocarbon refrigerants increases in North America."

Also, today UL released a white paper addressing the ongoing efforts to prepare for widespread use of HCs in HVAC/R equipment and appliances. UL is using the white paper, Revisiting Flammable Refrigerants, to raise awareness among stakeholders to help them prepare for the widespread use of flammable refrigerants in consumer and commercial appliances including, in the future, air conditioning. The paper highlights the global market's extensive HC experience and discusses the need for education and training for installers, service personnel, operators of storage and retail facilities, fire fighters and inspection professionals in the U.S.

Finally, on Feb. 2 UL will host a "Joint Task Group" standards meeting on the use of flammable refrigerants at the International Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating (AHR) Expo in Las Vegas. UL Standards Technical Panel (STP) members and key stakeholders will develop recommendations for HVAC/R product safety standards.

"Raising awareness and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders is an important first step in maintaining the track record of safety when it comes to using flammable refrigerants," said Mrs. Simin Zhou, Vice President and General Manager of UL's Appliances, HVAC/R and Components business unit. "UL's forum, the release of this white paper and the joint task group meeting we'll host at this year's AHR Expo are proof that we are catalysts committed to facilitating the flammable refrigerant, especially HC, safety conversation."

To download a copy of Revisiting Flammable Refrigerants visit www.uluniversity.com/thoughtleadership. To learn more about related testing and certification services, visit UL.com/hvacr.  

About UL:

UL is a premier global safety science company with more than 100 years of proven history. Employing more than 6800 professionals in over 96 countries, UL is evolving the future of safety with five distinct business units – Product Safety, Environment, Life & Health, Verification and University–to meet the expanding needs of customers and the global public. Additional information about UL can be found at UL.com or Safetyathome.com.  

SOURCE Underwriters Laboratories