India. In 2012, the first split air conditioners (AC) with HC-290 that reached the Indian market were launched by a local company. Since then, a total of 60,000 AC systems of this class have been sold and installed in the eastern country.
The company operates a database based on a feedback history. According to this database, only a small number of complaints (less than 20) arose due to insufficient refrigeration. Electrical breakdowns occurred in fewer than 50 units. Only about 50 compressors failed, but the company claims this could be due to poor packaging handling. A similar number of cases showed harmless dents and other external damage.
However, the most prominent failure was due to leakage, which occurred in less than 300 units. This corresponds to an annual leakage rate of less than 0.3%, well below the rates of 10 to 15 per cent for Article 5 countries.
With a failure rate below 0.5%, overall levels of system safety and reliability remain quite high and assessments showed negligible risk. Related energy cost-effectiveness of HC products are mostly favorable.
The company that launched this class of products in India is Godrej & Boyce. Co. Ltd.
