Johnson Controls announces industry-first use of low-GWP refrigerants in scroll and free-cooling screw chillers

 YLAA and YVFA chillers are more than compliant nearly a year in advance of the upcoming refrigerant deadline and will help customers improve sustainability while maintaining chiller performance by using low-GWP refrigerants.

Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has launched its first air-cooled scroll chiller in the U.S. to use R-454B refrigerant, the YORK YLAA Air-Cooled Scroll Chiller, and the first free-cooling screw chiller in the U.S. to use R-1234ze refrigerant, the YORK YVFA Free-Cooling, Variable-Speed Screw Chiller, driving efficiency of performance and getting ahead of the regulatory curve.

R-454B and R-1234ze refrigerants have among the lowest global warming potential (GWP), making the YLAA and YVFA more than compliant with upcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Climate Alliance refrigerant regulations that phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants like R-410A and go into effect starting January 1, 2024.

Johnson Controls selected these refrigerants after years of researching, testing and evaluating low-GWP refrigerant alternatives. By using R-1234ze, the YVFA maintains its legacy performance levels, while R-454B improves the efficiency of the YLAA. By using low-GWP refrigerants, the new YLAA and the YVFA are demonstrating the art of the possible in high-sustainability, high-performance chillers and begin the progression for Johnson Controls to shift to low-GWP refrigerants across its product lines.