United States.
The U.S. government is working with AHRI, ASHRAE and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy and other organizations to conduct research on medium flammable (A2L) and flammable (A3) refrigerants as low-global warming potential alternatives to hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in air conditioning and refrigeration.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is contributing $3 million in funding, while ASHRAE and AHRI are contributing $1.2 million and $1 million, respectively. The research will support the acceleration of updated safety standards to enable wider use of natural refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, not only in the United States, but also globally.
The results will be used to update ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2013 (Refrigeration Systems Safety Standard) and ANSI/ASHRAE 34-2013 (Refrigerant Designation and Safety Classification).
