Ingersoll Rand
 

Public Policy Involvement

Representatives from Ingersoll Rand are involved in informing public policy makers on important sustainability issues, such as climate change, energy efficiency, and refrigerant use.

Ingersoll Rand Leader Goes to Capitol Hill for Great Energy Efficiency Day

In April 2008, John W. Conover IV, president of the Trane Commercial System business in the Americas, participated in the Great Energy Efficiency Day on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy. As part of a discussion titled “Building for the Future: The Elements of Success,” Conover shared his thoughts on sustainable solutions for business and the environment, including trends in today’s built environment, available technologies, case examples, and environment and economic impacts.

Launched in 2004, the annual Great Energy Efficiency Day draws more that 400 stakeholders from business, industry, government, academia, the media, and the public interest sector. The event features the leading voices in energy efficiency addressing timely issues and provides insight from Capitol Hill with keynote addresses from congressional members.

Position on Refrigerant Use

We follow the refrigerant selection factors listed below in the systems we use in our own facilities and the systems we sell to our customers:

  • Low ozone depletion potential (ODP)
  • Low global warming potential (GWP)
  • High operating efficiency
  • Short atmospheric life
  • Low operating pressure (low leakage rate)

One example of this strategy is our use of R-123 in centrifugal chillers. R-123 is a balanced, environmentally responsible refrigerant with low global warming potential and near zero ozone depletion potential. It also has an extremely short atmospheric life. When R-123 is combined with Trane technology in the CenTraVac® chiller, it is the most efficient chiller available today — up to 13.5 percent more efficient than any alternative. In addition, Ingersoll Rand guarantees that our Trane CenTraVac chillers with R-123 will emit less than 0.5 percent each year the system is in use, which is a small fraction of the federal allowable limits for refrigerant emissions.

Position on Climate Change

Ingersoll Rand is actively involved in climate change policy development in national and international forums, such as the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC). Energy efficiency and refrigerant policy are two areas where the company is most active. Although this complicated issue continues to evolve, key elements of the Ingersoll Rand position on climate change include:

  • Pricing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Ingersoll Rand supports government policy that will create a price signal for greenhouse gas emissions as an effective tool to spur energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.
  • Cap vs. Tax: Ingersoll Rand supports a cap and trade legislative framework for limiting carbon emissions over a carbon tax in order to incent readily available, cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies while driving longer term technology investment in renewable energy technologies that are not readily available or cost effective today.
  • National and International Linkage: Ingersoll Rand believes that a global policy agreed to within the UNFCCC process, followed by domestic programs in both developed and developing countries, is critical to place countries on a level competitive playing field while ensuring climate change mitigation.
  • Offsets: Major facets of any regulatory scheme in national legislation should be linked to and harmonized with international programs (such as the UNFCCC). Where possible, credits for energy efficiency and renewable energy investments (i.e., offset credits) that provide financial incentives will drive progressive climate change mitigating technologies. Any offset credits should be verifiable, sustainable, and additional to normal business practices.
  • Separate Treatment of Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Refrigerants: HFCs are unique in that the refrigerants are the only greenhouse gas deliberately produced and sold as a product for societal value as opposed to being an unintended by-product. Until more energy efficient, safe, and less potent substitutes are developed, any policy should provide for an acceptable transition time away from today’s best practice solution. In addition, any transition should take into account a balanced view on environmental impact. This balanced view should minimize both ozone depletion and global warming potential of the fluid, minimize refrigerant emissions in their applications, and maximize energy efficiency.
  • The Role of Energy Efficiency: Since the majority of energy production today is fossil fuel based, with resulting carbon dioxide emissions, reducing energy use will have a direct impact on carbon dioxide emissions reductions. By transforming the built environment to be more energy efficient and climate friendly, the building sector can play a major role in reducing the threat of climate change. Using energy efficiency technologies available today will not only help abate greenhouse gas emissions, but can also provide sound investments for end users. Ingersoll Rand supports incentives for investment in energy efficiency as opposed to aggressive increases in minimum efficiency standards. These incentives will provide a larger reduction in energy use than would aggressive increases in minimum standards – especially in existing buildings, industrial facilities, and homes – awhile being financially attractive to end users.