UCLA prepares to change cooling system to comply with new federal regulations

This post was updated Feb. 3 at 9:44 a.m.

UCLA is phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances, in accordance with an update in federal regulations.

As of Jan. 1, the Environmental Protection Agency has prohibited new production and import of R-22, an ozone-depleting refrigerant commonly referred to as freon. However, existing stockpiles of R-22 may still be used as a refrigerant.

UCLA currently uses air conditioning equipment that runs on R-22. A UCLA Facilities Management representative Chad Bascom said in an emailed statement that less than 5% of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, units at UCLA currently use R-22. Instead, most of the HVAC equipment at UCLA uses chilled or hot water, Bascom added.

Bascom said that in preparation for the phaseout, UCLA has taken several steps to replace, recycle and save its R-22 and HVAC units. This includes transitioning to the usage of existing stores of saved and recycled R-22, as well as replacing HVAC units that use R-22.

The EPA began a national phaseout of ozone-depleting substances in 1994 in compliance with the federal Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, an international treaty.

The EPA categorizes ozone-depleting substances into two classes. Class I controlled substances, which are primarily chlorofluorocarbons, have already been phased out. Class II controlled substances, which include hydrochlorofluorocarbons such as R-22, are currently in the phaseout process.

The EPA regulations were enacted as part of federal compliance with the Montreal Protocol, which aims to halt the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. The Montreal Protocol has been ratified by all 193 countries in the United Nations, making it the first treaty to be universally ratified across all UN member states.

The United States signed the Montreal Protocol in 1987 and amended the Clean Air Act in 1990 by adding Title VI, which outlines the EPA’s responsibilities to regulate ozone-depleting substances.

In accordance with EPA regulations, UCLA is saving and recycling R-22 for future use.

“If HVAC equipment needs minor repairs, we can still use recycled or stockpiled R-22,” Bascom said. “Currently, UCLA has a small stock of R-22 for emergency repairs, and we also reclaim and recycle our old R-22 refrigerant.”

An EPA spokesperson said in an emailed statement that owners of HVAC units that use R-22 are not required to immediately replace their equipment.

“Last year over 8 million pounds of R-22 was reclaimed in this way for sale,” the EPA statement read. “Even though there is no immediate need for change, as the R-22 supply declines over the next decade or more, prices may rise.”

HCFCs, including R-22, have high global warming potential compared with other greenhouse gases, said UCLA fellow in environmental law Charles Corbett.

“For R-22 … the global warming potential is a thousand-fold more potent than carbon dioxide,” Corbett said. “So that means by controlling the emission of these refrigerants, we can reduce a significant amount of climate risk.”

When HCFCs like R-22 enter the stratosphere, they are struck by ultraviolet radiation which can cause chlorine atoms to be released, Corbett said. These chlorine atoms, in turn, can change ozone molecules into regular oxygen molecules, he added.

“After the chlorine renders the ozone into O2, it’s free again and then it strikes another ozone particle, causing that to be oxygen-2, causing a chain reaction,” Corbett said.

He added that just one chlorine particle can destroy a large amount of ozone.

Ozone, a naturally occurring gas in the stratosphere, serves a number of environmental functions, including preventing some UV radiation from reaching Earth’s surface. Certain kinds of ultraviolet radiation are really harmful for humans and organic life, Corbett said.

“It can cause skin cancer, cataracts in the eyes and it can interfere with the metabolic processes of plants, plankton, which causes all sorts of cascades through the ecosystems and food chains,” he said.

Although the availability of R-22 is expected to decrease over time, Bascom said the EPA phaseout of R-22 will not pose a problem for UCLA.

“The ban on R-22 supports the sustainability efforts that UCLA Facilities is achieving,” Bascom said. “Every piece of equipment that is converted from HCFC to HFC takes us one step closer to our goal.”