California-based startup Bluon Energy, creator of an energy-efficient replacement refrigerant for existing HVAC-R systems, has scored new investors and a board advisor to boost awareness of the role its refrigerants can play in the fight against climate change and to bolster sales. This comes at a time when existing HVAC-R refrigerants used by the majority of the US and the world are becoming obsolete due to federal regulation and global phase-outs.
Among the newly announced investors are Bionatus LLC, Greg Ellis of Control Air Conditioning Corporation and actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who will serve as a strategic advisor to Bluon’s Board of Directors. DiCaprio and company leaders and board advisors Kelly Givens, David Gordon of Savilis Studley and Matthew Case of Bionatus will work to create awareness around the substantial impact Bluon’s TdX 20 refrigerant can have in the fight against climate change by making existing HVAC-R equipment more energy efficient.
According to estimates by the US Department of Energy, US Environmental Protection Agency and the United Nations, HVAC-R equipment consumes approximately 40 percent of all electricity both domestically and globally. Utilizing a more energy-efficient refrigerant provides an easy and affordable way to lower costs and reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts without the need of new equipment.
“The numbers are significant,” said Douglas Reinke, CEO of Bluon. “If you take a typical three-story, 100,000-square-foot office building, we can swap out their R-22 with less expensive Bluon TdX 20 and reduce their carbon footprint by more than 100 metric tons of CO2 every year while simultaneously saving the facility tens of thousands of dollars in electricity costs per year.”
“Electricity generation is a primary driver of carbon emissions and it is contributing greatly to our planet’s growing climate crisis,” said DiCaprio. “We need to work across all sectors of our consumption to ensure the development of energy-efficient products that will help reduce emissions. Bluon is at the forefront of tackling energy efficiency in our existing heating and air conditioning infrastructure which makes their approach an immediate part of the solution.”
Bluon has also revealed that they are joining the New Energy Opportunities (NEO) Network, a collaborative online platform managed by Schneider Electric that will connect Bluon with commercial and industrial companies actively looking for energy efficiency and sustainability solutions.
“If we can make our existing heating and cooling systems more efficient, then we will drastically reduce the level of global emissions. This is a critical task if we are serious about tackling the underlying cause of climate change,” DiCaprio added.
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Published May 17, 2017 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT / 8pm BST / 9pm CEST