Posted on 9/27/2024
If you’ve recently bought a new car or are thinking about upgrading your vehicle, you may have noticed something different under the hood when it comes to the air conditioning (A/C) system. Specifically, more and more manufacturers are now using 1234YF refrigerant instead of the older, more familiar R-134a. You might be wondering why this change is happening and what it means for your car. A Move Towards Eco-Friendly Refrigerants One of the primary reasons for the switch from R-134a to 1234YF refrigerant is environmental impact. Traditional refrigerants like R-134a contribute significantly to global warming. While R-134a doesn’t harm the ozone layer like older refrigerants (such as R-12), it still has a high Global Warming Potential (GWP). To put this into perspective, R-134a has a GWP of around 1,400, meaning it has 1,400 times the heat-trapping capability of carbon dioxide. In contrast, 1234YF has a much lower GWP of just 4, making it far less harmful ... read more