ASHRAE Journal - December 2023 - 6

INDUSTRY NEWS
Refrigerant Changes & Geothermal
BY DREW CHAMPLIN, ASHRAE JOURNAL EDITOR
OKLAHOMA CITY - International Environmental Corporation
(IEC), a subsidiary of Climate Control Group (CCG),
held its 75th anniversary celebration in late October.
IEC invited media representatives to share how the
company, as a manufacturer, is dealing with industry
changes, including with refrigerants and the push for
geothermal systems.
CCG is one of many manufacturers rolling out the
R-454B refrigerant for ducted systems over the next
year, as the Environmental Protection Agency is
phasing out R-410A due to global warming concerns,
and manufacturers are preparing for this transition to
begin in 2025.
" We're having to totally redesign equipment, " CCG
Chief Operating Officer Kevin McNamara said.
The testing process includes making sure equipment
is up to safety standards, since R-454B is mildly
flammable. There will have to be a serious look at
mechanical room design as it pertains to exhaust and
sensors, per McNamara.
" It's all hands on deck with the refrigerant changes, "
said Donald Decker, IEC's vice president of strategic
growth and initiatives. " That is our primary focus-
getting (our) line of products that currently use
refrigerants ready for that refrigerant transition, which
takes not only our engineering design time, but the
support of our suppliers because they have to supply us
different parts to make the units that will run with the
new refrigerant. "
Geothermal systems were also a hot topic.
Manufacturers acknowledge the high up-front costs
of these systems, but say they can be made up through
cheaper maintenance and life-cycle costs.
" We are now seeing large corporate owners as well as
residential homeowners asking for that technology, "
Decker said. " I don't know that (CCG) necessarily drove
that. I know the industry is asking for it more than the
companies are driving that. "
Along with the up-front costs, another barrier for the
systems is getting the energy loop into the ground.
" You need to understand your soil, " said
Eric Newberg, CCG's vice president of product
management. " Not all soils conduct energy the same
way. You're moving heat back and forth. The earth
works like a battery, storing energy. It's important to
make sure you have an even heat load, and you can
balance that out with ways like a small heat cooler. "
Proponents of geothermal point to the 2022 Inflation
Reduction Act's tax credit, which provides a 30% credit
for geothermal heat pump projects installed before
January 1, 2033.
CORRECTION: In the November issue, in " ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2022 Performance Path Changes, " the wrong data was included in the " 2019 Building Performance Factors "
portion of Table 1. This is the correct version of that portion of the table, which has been corrected in the digital edition and at ashrae.org. The " 2022 Building Performance Factors "
portion of the table in the November issue was correct. ASHRAE Journal regrets the error.
TABLE 1 Changes to the Building Performance Factors (BPFs).
2019 BUILDING PERFORMANCE FACTORS
BUILDING AREA TYPE
Multifamily
Healthcare/hospital
Hotel/motel
Office
Restaurant
Retail
School
Warehouse
All others
6
0A AND 1A
0.68
0.60
0.55
0.52
0.63
0.51
0.39
0.38
0.56
0B AND 1B
0.70
0.60
0.53
0.57
0.64
0.54
0.47
0.42
0.57
2A
2B
3A
3B
3C
CLIMATE ZONE
4A
4B
4C
5A
5B
5C
6A
6B
7
8
0.66 0.66 0.69 0.68 0.59 0.74 0.76 0.74 0.70 0.73 0.75 0.68 0.71 0.68 0.72
0.58 0.54 0.56 0.55 0.55 0.55 0.54 0.54 0.57 0.52 0.54 0.57 0.52 0.57 0.57
0.53 0.52 0.53 0.54 0.54 0.53 0.53 0.52 0.50 0.51 0.51 0.50 0.51 0.50 0.50
0.50 0.56 0.53 0.56 0.48 0.51 0.52 0.49 0.51 0.51 0.49 0.52 0.51 0.49 0.51
0.60 0.60 0.60 0.61 0.58 0.62 0.57 0.61 0.63 0.60 0.64 0.65 0.62 0.67 0.70
0.49 0.55 0.51 0.55 0.53 0.51 0.55 0.54 0.50 0.54 0.55 0.50 0.51 0.48 0.50
0.38 0.43 0.38 0.42 0.40 0.37 0.40 0.38 0.36 0.40 0.36 0.36 0.37 0.36 0.37
0.40 0.42 0.43 0.44 0.43 0.44 0.43 0.46 0.49 0.47 0.48 0.54 0.51 0.57 0.57
0.50 0.52 0.50 0.54 0.53 0.53 0.52 0.54 0.51 0.51 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.46
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