EuroShop 2017: True to go 100% hydrocarbons by 2019

True Manufacturing, an American firm with a strong presence in Europe, said at EuroShop 2017 that it is committed to moving its entire production portfolio to 100% hydrocarbons by 2019.

“At the moment we are two-thirds through the transition from R134a and R404A to R290,” Kurt Bahnmaier, marketing coordinator for Europe, told the global retail show in Düsseldorf, Germany. 

The transition to R290 has seen True invest heavily in R&D over the last five years. 

Bahnmaier admits that this is partly motivated by legislation such as the EU F-Gas Regulation, US Department of Energy Regulations and the US SNAP programme. “Yes, we had no choice, but now we know this will be good for us in the long run, as the energy savings [from propane] are quite good,” Bahnmaier told hydrocarbons21.com.

Hydrocarbon systems are cheaper to run than their HFC counterparts. “With R134a and R404A you need to capture the refrigerant afterwards and then recycle it. This means you need to service it properly, train people to do this, and then pay to get it disposed of properly,” he explained.