As the HVACR industry continues to move forward and innovate, the refrigerants that were once so commonplace are now being phased out. Replacing them are more energy efficient, environmentally friendlier refrigerants, known as Low GWP refrigerants. Many of these new refrigerants are classified by ASHRAE as A2L, or slightly flammable. The industry is also seeing expanded use of some hydrocarbon (A3) refrigerants, such as propane and isobutane. Students and technicians can and should acquire additional training for the safe handling and transportation of these refrigerants. RSES is pleased to offer the ESCO Institute Low GWP Refrigerant Safety options that follow.
Low GWP/A2L Refrigerants
With numerous changes to building codes and industry standards to accommodate the safe use of Low GWP refrigerants, those working in the HVACR industry need a reliable source of information and training to keep pace with innovation. ESCO’s Low GWP Refrigerant Safety Program fills that need.
Manual
The Low GWP Refrigerant program manual, which is available in both printed and digital format, covers:
- - Refrigerant safety
- - Introduction to Low GWP refrigerants
- - Refrigerant properties and characteristics
- - The refrigeration cycle
- - Working with refrigerant blends
- - Proper installation and service guidelines
- - Flammable refrigerant considerations
- - Explanation of the associated codes and standards for A2L refrigerants
Instructor Low GWP Refrigerant Safety Program
The instructor resource materials include a 204-slide PowerPoint presentation that correlates directly with the manual. Each slide contains speaker notes to aid the instructor through the presentation and provide additional talking points.
Certification
A 50-question, closed-book certification exam is available to validate that a person has retained the information presented in the program. The exams covers: General Flammable Refrigerant Safety Knowledge, Core ACR Knowledge, Flammable System Service Safety, Flammable System Installation Safety, and Flammable Refrigerant Transportation and Handling Safety.
You must be an approved proctor for this exam in order to order exams for individuals to take. If you need to submit a proctor application for this exam, click here. In addition to submitting a proctor application, you may download exam request forms to submit as well.