Why R290 Heat Pump Will Be Future Trend for EU Market?

On October 5, 2023, the European Commission and the European Parliament quietly reached an agreement on "phasing down substances that cause global warming and deplete the ozone layer."

The content of the agreement, on the one hand, finalized the previous negotiations on the F-gas Act, that is, by 2050, the consumption of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) will be phased out completely. On the other hand, the agreement also confirms the informal agreement reached in June 2023 on substances that deplete the Ozone layer (ODS). This means that the introduction of this interim agreement will make HFCs face stricter controls in Europe.

One of the most noteworthy is the ban on small household heat pump equipment, the agreement stipulates that by 2027, the use of small (power less than 12KW) monobloc heat pump and air conditioners with a GWP value greater than 150HFCs will be completely banned, and it will be completely eliminated in 2032. This shows that heat pumps using HFC-134a, HFC-404A, R410A, R22,R32 and other high GWP refrigerants will face elimination and exit the market in Europe.

Are you still using environmentally unfriendly heat pump products to heat your home?

Now we have a solution that can completely solve the heating, cooling and environmental problems, not only make your life more comfortable, but also protect our only planet, which is the use of R290 as a refrigerant.

The Advantages of R290 Heat Pump

·Low GWP:

 R290 is a hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerant with a GWP of only 3HFCs. This staggering GWP number is real and far below the 150HFCs required in the ban. Such a low value means that its impact on the greenhouse effect (i.e. direct emissions) is negligible and, therefore, it is not limited and can be considered a long-term solution.

·High Temperature: 

Normally, an air source heat pump can heat up to a temperature range of 40-60 °C, but an air source heat pump using R290 as a refrigerant can provide a house with a temperature of up to 75°C when the outdoor temperature is -15°C.

·Energy Savings: 

Many studies have shown that the latent heat of evaporation of propane is almost twice that of the most common HFC refrigerants, which means that for the same refrigerant mass flow rate, R290 will have a higher cooling/heating effect. It means that the use of R290 as a refrigerant can bring higher economic benefits to the family.

·Price Stability: 

The price of refrigerants with pure HFO components can vary greatly depending on the substance, and these price differences can be very significant when large quantities are used. In fact, looking at the price trend of R290 in the past three years, we can see that the price fluctuation range of R290 is very small, so the relatively stable price is also an advantage of R290.

Future EU Market Potential For R290 Heat Pump

As mentioned above, with a GWP of only 3, R290 is a refrigerant that perfectly compliant with the new EU regulations. In addition, the R290 heat pump is more environmentally friendly than many previous heat pumps using other refrigerants at the same time the price is not very different. And because the R290 has environmental performance and better thermodynamic performance, So when it reaches the same temperature, R290 can even save you some money.

Therefore, the R290 Heat Pump will be a very popular product in the EU market in the future.