The American Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating Association (AHRI) announced that the HEATING, ventilation, air conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) industry will invest $5 billion over the next decade to develop a new generation of refrigerants and related air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.

StephenYurek, secretary general of the HVACR association, said, "the HVACR industry has been actively developing low GWP refrigerants. Since 2009, the industry has spent nearly $2 billion developing energy-efficient devices and promoting the use of low-GWP refrigerants. Over the next 10 years, the HVACR industry will invest an additional $5 billion in r&d and investment in the development and commercialization of low GWP technologies."

HVACR and the heating industry have made positive contributions to energy conservation and environmental protection. Since the late 1980s, the industry has supported international cooperation to protect the ozone layer through the development of chlorine-free refrigerants, and has agreed to actively promote a phase-out schedule for ODS substances while ensuring efficiency improvements in equipment, he said. For nearly a decade, the industry has worked together to reduce the use of refrigerants that harm the earth's environment in air conditioners and refrigeration equipment.

He noted that AHRI and its members launched the Low GWP Alternative Refrigerant Evaluation program in 2011 without government funding, and the first phase of the program was completed by the end of 2013. The second phase of work is under way. The purpose of the project is to study the application of different refrigerants in different equipment. The U.S. HVAC industry will work with international organizations to phase out high GWP refrigerants in an orderly manner.