Refrigerants: the flow that fuels your comfort.

Curious about refrigerants? Learn what they are, how they work in heat pumps, and the key differences of refrigerants— all summed up for you here.

Function of refrigerants

What is a refrigerant?

Refrigerants are substances that efficiently transfer heat and are used in many everyday devices. They are essential for heat pumps, which use them to transfer environmental heat into homes to provide heating and hot water. Air conditioning units also rely on the same principle and refrigerant use.

Refrigerants absorb heat from the surroundings through a heat exchanger and release it into the heating system through another heat exchanger. Refrigerators and air conditioners also use refrigerants, but they work in reverse, moving heat from inside the fridge or house to the outside.

Types of refrigerants

Natural refrigerants vs. synthetic refrigerants (F-Gas).

Refrigerants are divided into two types: natural and synthetic refrigerants.

Natural refrigerants
Synthetic refrigerants (F-Gas)

Natural refrigerants are substances like hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, ammonia, water, and air. These are naturally occurring substances and have a low environmental impact and therefore completely safe for the environment. Vaillant is one of the first companies to successfully market heat pumps using the natural refrigerant propane (R290). Learn more about the refrigerant R290.

The global warming potential (GWP) is where natural and synthetic drift apart.

A crucial difference between synthetic and natural refrigerants is the Global Warming Potential (GWP).

GWP measures a substance's impact on global warming compared to CO₂, which has a GWP of 1. Higher GWP values mean greater harm. Synthetic refrigerants generally have a much higher GWP than natural refrigerants.

Key refrigerants for heat pumps.

Refrigerant	Type	Key Applications	Environmental Impact	Key Points
R410A	HFC Blend	Residential and commercial heat pumps	No ozone depletion, high GWP	More efficient than older refrigerants, commonly used in modern heat pumps.
R744 (CO₂)	Natural Refrigerant	Heat pumps, supermarkets	Very low GWP, high pressure	Sustainable, non-flammable, requires robust system components.
R290 (Propane)	Natural Refrigerant	Small commercial heat pumps, AC	Very low GWP, flammable	Eco-friendly and efficient, requires safety measures due to flammability.

The future of refrigerants.

Currently, all refrigerants can be freely used in heat pumps, but the trend is moving towards banning synthetic refrigerants with high GWPs. In the future, it will no longer be possible to market these high-GWP refrigerants. Find out more about the f-gas regulation and what it means for your heating.

But no reason to worry for you, with Vaillant you can relax! As we constantly work towards being one step ahead, our newest generation of heat pumps is ready for a sustainable future.

Ready to find the one heat pump that perfectly fits your needs?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? We have the answers.

What does the R in refrigerants stand for?

Are refrigerants dangerous?

Natural refrigerants are often discussed because of their flammability. However, considering that almost every household has a refrigerator with the refrigerant isobutane (a hydrocarbone), it shows that propane heat pump technology is entirely managable.

Only a small amount of refrigerant is needed, which is filled up during device production or installation and reused during disposal. Once professionally installed, the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump remains sealed, preventing leaks.

Heat pumps are designed to be very safe, so there is no need to worry about refrigerant leaks. Leaks are practically impossible due to the hermetically sealed refrigerant circuit.

With regular maintainance, a heat pump using propane (R290) is suitable for decades of indoor and outdoor use. During installation, specific safety regulations, such as maintaining safety distances, protection zones without ignition sources, and solid foundation placement, must be followed.

Do refrigerants need to be replaced?

What is the GWP of the refrigerants R32 and R410A?

Which refrigerant is better, R32 or R410A?

What is the GWP of R290?

What does the new F-Gas Regulation 2024 state?

What is CO₂ equivalence?

CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) are a unit of measurement to standardise the climate impact of different greenhouse gases. Besides carbon dioxide (CO₂), there are other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.

These gases do not contribute equally to the greenhouse effect and remain in the atmosphere for different periods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defined the "Global Warming Potential" (GWP) to compare their effects.

This index measures the warming effect of a specific amount of a greenhouse gas over a set period (usually 100 years) compared to CO₂. For instance, methane has 28 times the climate impact of CO₂ but stays in the atmosphere for a shorter time. Nitrous oxide's impact is nearly 300 times greater than CO₂.

Greenhouse gas emissions can be converted into CO₂ equivalents and summarised. CO₂ equivalents are abbreviated as "CO₂e."

Dive deeper into efficient heating.

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