Natural Refrigerant

The SANCO₂ is the most environmentally friendly HPWH on the market!

In an effort to protect the ozone layer and as part of the 2006 Montreal Protocol, all refrigerants are required to have a zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP). More recently, focus has turned to the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of refrigerants. The GWP is a standardized metric of how much a given pollutant contributes to Global Warming.

The GWP of a gas refers to the total contribution to global warming resulting from the emission of one unit of that Gas relative to one unit of the reference gas (CO₂) - which is assigned a value of 1. GWP is typically measured as the impact of that greenhouse gas over a period of 100 years.

Many states and provinces, such as California, are now scrutinizing refrigerants’ GWP and requiring the use of low GWP refrigerants (typically those with a GWP below 750).

Natural Refrigerant Comparison Table
condicioner 01

R134a

R134a (seen above) is the refrigerant most commonly used in Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) and has a 100-year GWP of 1,430, well above the recommended threshold of 750.

  • A single HPWH typically contains approx. 22oz (1.375lbs) of R134a.
  • 1lb of R134a has a 100-year GWP of 1,430.
  • Therefore, the refrigerant in a single HPWH has the potential for a contribution to global warming of 1,966.25 times an equivalent quantity of CO₂ over a 100-year period.
co2

R744 (CO₂)

The SANCO₂ HPWH uses the environmentally friendly CO₂ refrigerant, also known as R744.

  • A SANCO₂ unit contains 22.9oz (1.43lbs) of CO₂.
  • 1lb of CO₂ has a 100-year GWP of 1.
  • Therefore, the CO₂ refrigerant in a SANCO₂ unit has the potential for a contribution to global warming of 1.43 over the same period.

This represents a saving in greenhouse gas emissions of 1,964.8. By using the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) online calculator at:

https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

we see that this is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions produced by burning 100 gallons of gasoline or charging 113,000 smartphones.

The SANCO₂ truly is the most environmentally friendly HPWH on the market!