UL increases charge allowed in domestic fridges in the U.S. to 150 g

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a Washington, D.C.-based NGO, praised the move last week by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to adopt a new safety standard, UL 60335-2-24, Edition 2, which will boost the hydrocarbon charge allowed in U.S. domestic refrigerators to 150 g from 57 g, the amount allowed under UL 250.

“This is great news that brings us closer to mainstreaming hydrocarbon fridges in the U.S. market as the previous 57 g limit was a considerable barrier,” said Christina Starr, climate policy analyst for EIA, in an email message to Hydrocarbons21.com.

The new standard is in line with the IEC’s international standard that allows 150 g of hydrocarbon refrigerants propane and isobutane in domestic refrigerators, and promotes adoption of these appliances around the world.

However, for manufacturers to be able to sell these appliances in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency would need to update its existing regulations – which allow only 57 g of hydrocarbon refrigerant in domestic refrigerators – to incorporate the new UL standard.

“Since the UL 250 standard will be retired and replaced next year with UL 60335-2-24, the EPA must act quickly to prioritize a review of the new standard,” wrote Starr. on EIA’s website, eia-global.org. 

Current EPA regulations will phase out the currently dominant refrigerant in domestic refrigerators, R134a, in 2021, but the current 57 g charge limit for hydrocarbons “is too small to allow cost-effective and energy-efficient manufacturing,” she wrote.

In a report called “Bringing the U.S. Fridge Market into the 21st Century,” EIA pointed out that multinational companies like AB Electrolux of Sweden, Samsung Electronics and Haier selling domestic refrigerators with R134a in the U.S. are already producing and selling models using hydrocarbons in other markets.

“For over a decade, other countries have been using household refrigeration appliances that contain hydrocarbon refrigerants, which have almost no climate impact and are significantly more energy efficient than HFC technology,” wrote Starr.

Each year U.S. consumers purchase about 12 million new household refrigerators and freezers. Replacing R134a in new purchases with a climate-friendly refrigerant can avoid emissions of up to 3.7 million metric tons of direct CO2equivalent, according to the EIA.

Efforts are also underway globally and in the U.S. to increase the allowable hydrocarbon charge in commercial refrigerators above 150 g. The IEC is considering raising the limit for flammable A3 refrigerants to 500 g.