CleanTechnica
The units are climate friendly, too. “Up until now, cooling the home has meant warming the planet because of the refrigerants used in air conditioners. Commonly used HFC refrigerants like R410a are climate super-pollutants. They are over a thousand times more potent than carbon dioxide and accelerate planet warming which, in turn, increases our need for air conditioning. That’s why we are using R32, a next generation refrigerant that efficiently carries heat and has lower environmental impact.
The $70 million investment is a collaboration between NYCHA, the public utility New York Power Authority, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority , which promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy across the state. Vince Romanin, CEO of Gradient, said his companies technology can curb emissions in two ways — by shifting buildings away from fossil fuel heating sources and by using an alternative refrigerant. “We wanted to figure out a way to get better refrigerants and get heat pumps deployed way faster than they were currently on track to be deployed,” Romanin said.
Can’t wait till they’re $200