Strong Environmental, Technical Arguments Seen for R290 Window ACs

There is a a strong case to be made for transitioning to propane (R290)-based window air conditioners (ACs), in terms of the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction as well as technical considerations, according to GIZ, the German Corporation for International Cooperation.

"We think the case for using R290 in window-type air conditioners is very obvious," said Philipp Munzinger, who leads the Asia portfolio for GIZ Proklima, GIZ’s green cooling project, in a recent interview with this website.

GIZ Proklima has recently begun testing an R290 window AC prototype in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Energy's Lighting and Appliances Testing Laboratory.

In addition, GIZ Proklima has begun modeling the baseline GHG emissions that can be expected from window ACs over the next two decades, as well as the global GHG mitigation potential "from a rapid transition to R290" from R22 and R410A, Munzinger said.

"If this technology is going to remain throughout 2030 and 2040, we think it is worthwhile thinking about an early transition because the emissions tail is just too massive and the opportunity is just too straightforward,” he said.

Munzinger added that the simplicity of window units compared to split units make them an even stronger candidate for switching to R290. "In terms of the technology itself, we think the case for using R290 in window-type air conditioners is very obvious because the evaporator and condenser are packaged in one unit. The lack of long exterior pipes and smaller refrigerant charge make the installation process even more easy than with split-type ACs."

On July 16, Munzinger, together with several expert speakers, will present results from its initial market study and prototype testing in an online event. The event is taking place alongside the 43rd Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (OEWG).

"For this technology – [which] still has quite a considerable market share, is so easy to handle, and really is made for R290 – why is this transition not possible? That is really the key question that we are trying to answer," said Munzinger.

Registration for the event is available here.

Window ACs strong in some markets

Overall, window ACs are a small portion of the global market for room air conditioners compared to split ACs — about 13% of ACs sold in 2018 (or about 13 million units), according to the June 2019 "World Air Conditioner Demand by Region" report, by the Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA).

However, in certain regions such as the Philippines, U.S., Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, window air conditioners represent the majority share of total room air conditioner sales.

Source: Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA), "World Air Conditioner Demand by Region" June 2019

JRAIA's data shows that this trend has been consistent over the past few years, and is expected to continue. "Despite its generally lower energy efficiency compared to split-type ACs the global window type AC demand seems to remain stable over the next decade," said Munzinger.

In the Philippines, window ACs using f-gases still dominate the market, “resulting in large f-gas emissions," said Isagani Soriano, Division Chief of the Lighting and Appliance Testing Division. "The Department of Energy's Lighting and Appliances Testing Laboratory considers propane (R290), among others, as a promising and climate-benefitting refrigerant solution for window-type ACs. That is why we decided to do some research and development in this regard."

At the online event on July 16, Munzinger and Soriano will also be joined by Bo Shen, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who will share recent research on high-efficiency R290 window ACs; also participating will be Irene Papst and Daniel Colbourne from German environmental consultancy HEAT GmbH, who will discuss the GHG mitigation potential and safety of R290 use.

Registration for the event is available here.