Dive Brief:
- Modine Manufacturing has received a safety certification from UL for many of its HVAC products designed for K-12 schools.
- The certification covers the company’s Airedale products, including ventilation units and solutions aimed at helping schools improve their classrooms’ indoor air quality, per a Tuesday news release. This certification, known as UL 60335, sets safety standards for the design, construction and use of electrical appliances, and aims to provide protection against hazards such as electric shocks, fire and mechanical injuries, according to UL. Additionally, it provides certification for equipment using A2L refrigerants, Modine said.
- The HVAC manufacturer said it made this move in anticipation of new regulations slated to take effect after Jan. 1, 2025. These regulations, proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are components of the the American Innovation in Manufacturing Act and restrict the manufacturing of products using hydrofluorocarbons. Achieving UL 60335 compliance will allow Modine to incorporate A2L refrigerants into its school product line, aligning with the upcoming regulations outlined in the AIM Act, Joe Ellison, general manager, schools for Modine’s indoor air quality division, said in the release.
Dive Insight:
Traditional hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants are a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report by the Cool Coalition, a group of more than 130 government, nonprofit and private-sector partners led by the United Nations Environment Programme.
UL notes that UL 60335-2-40, the Standard for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, like heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, establishes more conservative safety requirements than the International Electrotechnical Commission standard. To mitigate the risk of refrigerant leakage, the UL 60335-2-40 standard requires all systems that exceed a certain refrigerant charge limit in occupied spaces to have a refrigerant leak detection system. Additionally, the standard, which applies to manufacturers of electrical appliances, mandates that refrigerant charge limits be determined based on the minimum volume of the room where the equipment is used.
The standard’s fourth edition, published in December 2022, refines requirements for leak detection systems to improve reliability and account for any deviations over the system life cycle. While this latest iteration was intended to be included in the 2024 building code, discussions about refrigerant detection system requirements were not yet complete at the time, UL says. It notes that the updated requirements of UL 60335 are now mandatory for all new certifications of electric heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers, including refrigerants and refrigerant leak detection systems, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
One of the key requirements of UL 60335-2-40 for HVAC equipment manufacturers is the replacement of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants with A2L-class refrigerants, which have significantly lower global warming potential. The previous standard, UL 1995, the Standard for Heating and Cooling Equipment, would no longer be used for new certifications after Jan. 1, 2025, because it does not address refrigerants other than class A1 refrigerants, UL says. However, products certified to UL 1995 before this date can continue to receive certification until Jan. 1, 2028, in alignment with the EPA’s allowed sell-through date.
The move to comply with UL 60335 will support Modine’s mission of using environmentally friendly refrigerants, Ellison said.
"Providing excellent IAQ remains a top priority for us, and having solutions that already meet the upcoming standards is beneficial to both contractors and end users," Ellison said. "While most changes to meet UL60335 certification will go unnoticed by the end user, these updates to our equipment help ensure the highest level of safety for our products while also positioning us to improve and expand our current product lines."
Products that Modine has obtained UL 60335 certification for include Airedale ClassMate and SchoolMate single-packaged ventilation air-source and water-source heat pump units; Airedale Sentinel, a vertical unit ventilator solution that can operate in conjunction with a school’s central chiller or boiler plant; Airedale Varsity/Valedictorian, a drop-in solution that eliminates cross-contamination of air between classrooms; and Airedale Ductless Mini-Split Ceiling Cassette, ductless split units intended as a hydronic alternative to variable refrigerant flow systems.
