As the world celebrates the historical agreements reached at the COP21 climate meeting in Paris, it brings to mind an equally significant treaty signed nearly 30 years ago – The Montreal Protocol. As part of the treaty, ratified parties are obligated to virtually ban the production and consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by the year 2020, with certain concessions for emerging economies.

This means that in the next few years, building owners and operators have to be prepared. This may involve phasing out existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, or retrofitting them to operate on approved refrigerants.

While ample time has been given for adjustments, the impending restrictions may still come as a surprise to those who are not intimately familiar with the HCFC phase out schedule.  Thus, dealers, building owners and operators should audit their HVAC assets in a timely manner to avoid any disruption to operations and cost escalation due to the low availability of the HCFC.

Even as we draw near the end of this transition out of HCFC, we are looking at another refrigerant transition. Driven by concerns that current-generation hydroflurocarbon (HFC) trap the sun's heat and contribute to global warming, research on new-generation refrigerants with low ozone depleting potential and global warming potential is underway. However, to date, alternatives are not fully ready and the best solution remains to be HFC.

Johnson Controls is also investing heavily to develop better alternatives that will be introduced to the market only after careful testing. A responsible refrigerant stewardship model would need to consider the following factors:

• Efficiency and sustainability (Besides the refrigerant's properties, the total impact of the system including energy efficiency, as well as direct and indirect effects of refrigerants throughout the entire lifecycle are equally key.)
   
• Safety and reliability (Flammability and toxicity of the refrigerant will influence occupant concerns, local code approvals, handling, servicing, storage, need for protective gear, property insurance, etc. The commonly used HCFC, R123, is known to have caused fatalities after being inhaled.)

• Availability and affordability (Restricted and new refrigerants are less available thus more expensive. There are also less trained service technicians who can properly handle the refrigerants.)
   

Click here to consult our experts on the compliance status of your equipment and refrigerants or to ensure that you have correctly balanced all the factors involved in refrigerant decisions.

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Johnson Controls has successfully worked with Sun Hung Kai Centre, a mixed-use development, to achieve energy and cost savings of 10 percent. This translates into annual savings of close to USD 75,000 for the property and a reduction of 300 tons in CO₂ emissions.

Johnson Controls reaffirmed its US$50 million investment to expanding its existing low-GWP product portfolio. The company will also develop aftermarket retrofit services and offer equipment that can be readily retrofitted with low-GWP options.

Building Control Manager 2.0, developed for light commercial facilities and buildings, features an improved user interface and new productivity tools that reduces time required to create the engineering database and configure the user interface by up to 50 percent.

Johnson Controls' new headquarters being built in Shanghai has been awarded the first-ever "Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency" (EDGE) design-phase certification for an office building in China.

Johnson Controls' air cooled chiller test lab – the world's largest – in Guangzhou, China, is an AHRI approved facility that offers multiple testing options for customers, including full-load, part-load performance and sound testing for air-cooled chillers up to 600 tons.

For more information, please contact
Johnny Yue (+852 29930652).

Johnson Controls Hong Kong has pledged its support for Biz Green Dress Day, a key initiative organized by Hong Kong Green Building Week to encourage office workers to dress lighter to reduce demand for air conditioning.