The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is initiating a cooperative research program to evaluate alternative refrigerants with a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 300 for key HVACR product categories. The program, called the Lower-GWP Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Program (Lower-GWP AREP), will focus on air conditioners, heat pumps, chillers, and heat pump water heaters.
This initiative is AHRI's third refrigerant evaluation effort, following the R-22 AREP in the 1990s and AREP-2 in the 2010s. The new program aims to assess the viability of recently developed low-GWP refrigerants that have not yet undergone independent industry-wide testing. It is designed to help AHRI member companies identify potential alternatives while minimizing duplicative research.
“The objective of this program is to help the industry identify and evaluate the most promising refrigerants, as well as to understand the technical challenges of enabling their use,” said Xudong Wang, AHRI Vice President of Research. “The program will not rank these alternatives, but will instead focus on identifying potential replacements for current refrigerants that will allow the industry to meet and comply with future regulatory activities in the United States and abroad.”
The evaluation process will begin with a survey of chemical producers to compile a list of candidate refrigerants. Selected refrigerants will undergo a range of tests, including compressor calorimeter testing, system drop-in testing, and soft-optimized system testing. Additional tests for chemical stability and material compatibility will be conducted if needed. All tests will be performed by participating companies using their own laboratories and resources.
The program will be guided by a Technical Committee made up of experts from AHRI member companies and operating under the AHRI Research and Technology Committee. This group will develop test protocols, prioritize testing in case of limited refrigerant availability, and oversee the quality of the final published results.
Once the Technical Committee is finalized, AHRI will issue an open call to manufacturers in the U.S. and internationally to join the program. Testing is scheduled to begin in January 2026.