United States. Johnson Controls participated in the last White House roundtable where actions towards a gradual reduction of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP) were discussed.
In its first 12 months of a three-year commitment, the company reaffirms its $50 million investment for the development and expansion of its existing portfolio of low-global warming potential products.
Since last year, the firm has invested US$15 million in the research and development of low-GWP refrigerant technology and displacement components, screw and centrifugal compressor-based products.
Over the past decade, Johnson Controls' product innovations have reduced the refrigerant load on equipment by nearly 30%, while improving efficiency by more than 40%, which has a major impact on reducing greenhouse gases. Other areas of R&D focus have included efforts to reduce the potential for leaks, as well as improving maintenance practices and in-service training.
Laura Wand, vice president of global building cooler solutions at Johnson Controls, said: "The building's heating and cooling systems account for approximately 40% of its annual CO2 emissions. We can make an impact on improving the energy efficiency of the system to reduce energy consumption, as well as increase the use of low global warming potential refrigerants."
In addition to the investment that was announced, Johnson Controls has announced that in the next 12 months it will develop high-efficiency, low-PWG refrigerant options in its commercial portfolio of air conditioning and refrigeration products.
