A conversation with Amir Naqvi, regional business leader, Fluorine Products, Middle East, Turkey & Africa region
The increasing global concerns about climate change and extreme weather episodes in the world have put a lot of stress on reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. This puts the HVAC industry in a severe dilemma because with increasing temperatures, the use of air conditioning in buildings has become a necessity rather than a luxury. So the usage of environmentally-friendly HVAC products and refrigerants is the only logical way forward to have comfortable temperatures and ensure a sustainable environment for the future as well.
Honeywell is continually innovating to produce environmentally-friendly hydorfluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerants for the HVAC industry. A key supplier of Honeywell refrigerants in Pakistan is Crescent Corporation. Crescent Corporation is renowned to introduce best products in the local market which are very much according to the local ambient requirements.
During a recent conversation with Engineering Post, Amir Naqvi, regional business leader, Fluorine Products, Middle East, Turkey & Africa region, said that Honeywell has been working on the production of environmentally-friendly refrigerants and related products for over a decade. “We are leading in the development of low global-warming-potential (GWP) and energy efficient refrigerants globally,” he said.
Due to the Montreal protocol, especially the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, refrigerants have been a highly regulated product. The Montreal protocol is basically the global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and the Kigali Amendment envisions phasing out high GWP products. “Honeywell’s Solstice® brand of refrigerants offers our customers environmentally-friendly, ready-now solutions to support their environmental transformations. For example, we introduced Solstice® N40 (R-448A) as a replacement for high GWP R-404A in supermarket systems and other applications, and it has a lower global-warming-potential and more energy efficiency” explained Mr. Naqvi. This product will ensure that the installation has a minimal CO2 footprint due to the innovative refrigerant being used in it.
In the past few years Pakistan has been working conscientiously to adopt environmentally-friendly policies as it is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Honeywell has identified Pakistan as a key market for introducing low global-warming-potential HFO solutions to support this effort. “Honeywell is here to help our customers within the HVAC industry in the Pakistani market as they work to make choices that are positive for their businesses and the environment. We are working with a number of local distributors to expand our reach in the market,” he said.
The company is working with contractors and consultants to build awareness about its technology and to increase the usage of environmentally-friendly refrigerants in Pakistan. In a very short span of time Honeywell has already commissioned a project as well and is working to increase their customer base in the country. “We recently completed an installation of Solstice N40 in a supermarket in Lahore and there are more projects in the pipeline as we continue to support our customers as they make environmentally-conscious decisions for their businesses,” he said.
