PEARL RIVER, NY, December 2, 2018 Hudson Technologies announced they are partnering with wholesalers, industry organizations, refrigerant and equipment manufacturers and the EPA to ensure that the correct information on the sale, buyback and use of R-22 is accessible to wholesalers, contractors and customers. Significant misinformation regarding the future status and use of R-22 is being circulated by certain industry participants and, as a responsible supplier and reclaimer, Hudson believes it can play an important role in establishing the facts as a counterpoint to fake news currently circulating.
The phaseout of virgin production of R-22 will be complete on January 1, 2020. This phaseout does not affect the future use of R-22 and the following is true:
- The purchase, sale and use of R-22 is legal now and will be in 2020 and for decades to come
- There is no timeline for the cessation of buying, selling or using R-22
- ≈ 50 million residential & light commercial R-22 systems remain installed throughout the US1.
- ≈ 7% replacement rate of HVAC systems per year; With an average lifespan of 20 years, R-22 systems will be in use for many, many years to come2
- More than 9 million lbs of R-22 are reclaimed each year3.
- 4.4 million lbs of R-22 will be newly manufactured in 20194
- Recovering R-22, to prevent atmospheric release, is the law5
- Recovering R-22 and returning it to an EPA certified reclaimer is good business. Used R-22 has value for your business
- R-22 can be recovered, reclaimed and reused repeatedly, ensuring a long-term stable supply
- Using R-22 delivers the highest efficiency and capacity for existing units and results in the shortest service time for the technician.
- Substantially less energy is used to reclaim and reuse R-22 than to manufacture a new refrigerant and to convert a system to that refrigerant. Reclaimed R-22 is the best choice for the environment.
Hudson will be producing a range of R-22 informational content and making it available to wholesalers, contractor and consumer audiences. The information will be distributed into the channel and available on the Hudson website at www.hudsontech.com as well as through social media channels.
Kevin J. Zugibe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hudson Technologies commented “Environmental stewardship is a core value at Hudson. We are embarking on this national campaign to ensure all stakeholders have the correct information about R-22 and its continued use so that they can make informed and environmentally responsible decisions regarding the continued use of R-22 HVAC systems. Reclaimed R-22 is the most efficient refrigerant for R-22 systems, yielding the highest efficiency and capacity. By clearly presenting the facts about R-22 availability and use after the phaseout, we believe we can help the market better understand that the environmentally and economically sound choice is to service and maintain existing R-22 systems to extend their lifespan, particularly since they can be assured that the systems can be supported with available R-22 product for decades to come.”
1 JP Morgan 2018 HAVC Annual Review and Outlook 5 April 2018
2 JP Morgan 2018 HAVC Annual Review and Outlook 5 April 2018
3 https://www.epa.gov/section608/summary-refrigerant-reclamation-trends
4 https://www.epa.gov/ods-phaseout/phaseout-class-ii-ozone-depleting-substances
5 https://www.epa.gov/section608/stationary-refrigeration-service-practice-requirements
