Businesses transitioning to environmentally friendly refrigerants and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) systems are facing growing operational, financial and technical challenges as the local industry adapts to changing environmental regulations and refrigerant phase-out programmes.

Cooling solutions company Cool Breeze Air Conditioning and Refrigeration project manager Makhensi Mkansi says global environmental agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment, are driving the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances and refrigerants with high global-warming potential (GWP).

Businesses using older systems reliant on refrigerant R22 are increasingly affected by reduced refrigerant availability.

Further, the transition is creating skills shortages across the wider sector, particularly because technicians require new, specialised training to work with natural refrigerants and A2L refrigerants. While Cool Breeze technicians have received the requisite training, this is not necessarily the case for the broader South African industry.

Safety concerns also remain a major challenge, especially regarding the flammability of some hydrofluoroolefin refrigerants, the toxicity of ammonia and the high operating pressures associated with CO2 systems.

Supply chain constraints are further complicating the transition, with some refrigerants not readily available locally and businesses remaining dependent on imports, which can contribute to price fluctuations.

Makhensi says operational downtime during retrofitting projects also poses risks for industries dependent on uninterrupted cold-chain operations but adds that businesses working to adopt lower-GWP refrigerants and energy efficient technologies ultimately improve their long-term sustainability and reduce operating costs.

Refrigerants such as R32 are gaining traction in residential and light commercial systems, owing to improved energy efficiency and lower GWP, compared with R410A.

He adds that refrigerants including R454B and R466A are being adopted in commercial systems as alternatives to R410A.

“Natural refrigerants are also becoming more widely used across specialised applications,” he says, highlighting propane, CO2 and ammonia refrigerants.

Simultaneously, businesses are increasingly investing in smart HVAC-R technologies to improve system performance and manage energy consumption.

Makhensi explains that sensors can continuously monitor temperature, humidity, pressure and energy use, while automated controls can adjust system output according to occupancy, the weather or production requirements.

In South Africa, rising electricity costs and energy-resilience concerns are increasingly influencing customers’ decisions.

Makhensi notes that businesses placing greater emphasis on life-cycle costs rather than initial purchase prices, has increased demand for inverter-driven systems, low-GWP refrigerants, smart controls and solar-integrated HVAC-R systems.