# Refrigeration a **nd Air Conditioning Sector Stakeholder Workshop: Household Appliances** 

November 15, 2013
10:00 AM

– 12:00 PM EST 1310 L Street NW, Washington DC, Room 152



# Concept Note

EPA is hosting a series of workshop s for interested stakeholders to exchange information on the sectors considered under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program and included for analytical purposes in EPA’s Vintaging Model. R efrigerant and air conditioning is the largest SNAP sector ; therefore , the Agency will be hosting multiple workshops on different end

- uses and applications within the refrigeratio n and air conditioning sector.

This meeting will focus on household appliances that contain refrigerant. The end uses include household refrigerators and freezers, window air conditioners, portable room air conditioners, residential dehumidifiers, wine coolers and water coolers.

The SNAP program was established in 1994 by Section 612 of the Clean Air Act to ensure that
alternati ves to ozone

- depleting substances used in key sectors pose lower overall risk to human health and the environment than what is currently or potentially available. Toward that end, SNAP reviews alternatives based on toxicity, flammability, ozone

- depletion p otential, global warming potential, environmental fate, and other criteria. On June 25, 2013, President Obama
announced the Climate Action Plan that will “[keep] the United States of America a leader, a global leader in the fight against climate change.” A s part of his plan, President Obama directed EPA to use its authority through the SNAP Program “to encourage private

- sector investment in
low

- emissions technology by identifying and approving climate

- friendly chemicals while prohibiting certain uses of the most harmful chemical alternatives.” EPA hosted a separate SNAP Stakeholder meeting on August 22, 2013, to begin a dialogue between stakeholders and EPA on next steps and effective app roaches going forward to meet the goals for the SNAP program.

The purpo se of th e November 15 th sector workshop is to foster dialogue between stakeholders and EPA and discuss information on the current and future use of various refrigerants in household appliances

. To help frame our discussion, please consider the

q uestions below ahead of the meeting

.

# Agenda

1. Welcome & Introductions

2. Background

a. Overview of the HFCs: Historical Milestones & the Climate Action Plan

b. Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program

c. Vintaging Model

3. Discussion

a. In many sectors the SNAP program is receiving an increased number of
submissions. SNAP current has several submissions concerning household appliances and has acted on others in the past several years. Are new substitutes anticipated for household applianc es ? Are additional transitions with existing alternatives anticipated?

b. What benefits have you seen from transitions? Decreased cost? Support sustainability goals? Better for the environment, performance?

c. Where a transition has been made, particularly to climate

- friendly alternatives, what benefits have you experienced from making the change?

d. What are the barriers precluding transition to safer alternatives?
i. What transition times would be needed to move t o alternatives?
ii. What end uses will require continued servicing and for how long?

e. Under what circumstances/conditions would it make sense for EPA to change the listing status of certain high

- GWP HFCs?

f. What are some ways that SNAP can help “encourage private

- sector investment in
low

- emissions technolog[ies](?)”

g. Are there ways to provide a degree of certainty for future investments while “prohibiting certain uses of the most harmful” alternatives?

h. What additional information can be provided by individual companies or by trade associations to inform the Vintaging Model?