A-Gas is urging the refrigeration industry to switch to low GWP refrigerants Solstice N40 (R-448A) and Opteon XP40 (R-449A) before shortages of R404A begin to have an impact on business. 

The latest round of F-Gas regulations will have a major effect on the availability of R404A, which is the most widely used refrigerant in the industry, as high GWP refrigerants are phased out.

Opteon XP40 (R-449A) and Solstice N40 (R-448A) are now available widely through refrigerant wholesalers and offer an ideal solution for end-users looking for alternatives to R404A, A-Gas says.

Managing director John Ormerod said: “Time is running out but some contractors are still ignoring the fact that supplies of R404A will shrink over the next two years and by 2018 there simply won’t be enough to go around. It is no good making the switch at the last minute – there is a huge bank of equipment out there which will have to be updated with low GWP refrigerants.”

He continued: “The low GWP credentials of Opteon XP40 and Solstice N40 – a more than two-thirds reduction on R404A – make them an obvious choice for those considering a change of refrigerants. They are also very closely matched to R404A in terms of their refrigeration capacity. Now is the time to change to these new low GWP refrigerants.”