Several years ago, the United States and other countries passed federal laws that mandate commercial facilities to phase out usage of R22 refrigerant and convert to a more environmentally friendly alternative. Many organizations are working on conversion efforts for the 2015 phase out deadline. Other organizations are putting into practice various measures to comply with tracking and reporting regulations for existing systems.

Because it is used in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in most commercial and business facilities, R22 refrigerant is one of the widely used chemicals in the world. Besides offices, warehouses, production facilities, restaurants and stores, it is also used in process chiller and industrial refrigerant plants. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons contained in the chemical are the focus of concern because these harmful gases are released into the air when a refrigerant leak occurs. This adds to the growing problem of global warming and continues to deplete the earth’s protective ozone layer.

Organizations needing to replace R22 refrigerant are faced with the challenge of switching over to new heating and cooling systems with minimal interruption to business. Along with the conversion, federal law requires proper discarding of R22 and extensive reporting when leaks occur. Under a 2009 law, companies with systems containing 50 pounds of R22 refrigerant must submit annual reports of its usage, service and leaks, while facilities using larger systems are required to submit more frequent reports.

Previous laws have already led to the banning of R22 refrigerant in various areas of production, in household equipment and in certain types of vehicles. The chemical is no longer used in the manufacture of new refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. By 2010, new R22 refrigerant for the maintenance and servicing of existing refrigeration and air conditioning systems will be banned and by 2015, recycled R22 refrigerant for the same purposes will be prohibited.

The U.S. Clean Air Act outlines specific containment and management practices that businesses and municipalities must follow to recover and recycle R22 refrigerant during installation, service, or retirement of a system. Because of the complex requirements of these procedures, many organizations use software programs and tracking applications to automatically handle the protocols, rather than handle the paperwork manually.

As R22 refrigerant is phased out under federal regulations established by the United States and other countries, several environmentally friendly alternatives have been identified. Among those approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in commercial facilities are ammonia, R404A and R407c. None of these alternatives deplete the ozone and they are more energy efficient.

Because it contains hydrochlorofluorocarbons, R22 refrigerant has shown to cause significant damage to the ozone layer. As such, companies have begun efforts to comply with the new regulations aimed at reducing the use of refrigerant use. Among the requirements of the law are monitoring equipment using R22 refrigerant, tracking its usage and reporting any leaks. Compliance has become even more important than before following new laws passed in 2009. These regulations allow government regulators to conduct unannounced spot checks to ensure proper tracking of R22. Particular oversight is given in the event of a leak to ensure documentation adequately shows how the gases were recovered.

R22 refrigerant is just one of many substances that have been identified by the United States and other countries as causing long-term harm to the ozone layer. More recently, these substances have shown to have global warming potential. The effort to phase out dangerous substances will help the world reach its unified goal of recovering the damage done to date to the ozone layer and improve the overall health of the environment for years to come.