Abstract: China is the largest country of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) production and consumption, and the production of HCFC-22 (Chlorodifluoromethane) accounts for more than 80% of all HCFCs. In 2007, the international community decided to speed up the elimination of HCFCs, China's implementation will bring great benefits to the global environment. This paper concentrates on the residential air-conditioner industry and analyzes the environmental benefits of accelerating the phase-out of HCFC-22 in China. According to the comparison of the baseline and phase-out scenarios of HCFC-22, it's found that using HC-290 (propane) as a refrigerant alternative will directly reduce the greenhouse effect, and indirectly reduce the emission of greenhouse gas due to the reduction in the electricity consumption. The comparison of two scenarios of HC-290 and HFC-410A refrigerant alternatives shows that the use of HC-290 refrigerant will produce significantly higher environmental benefits than the use of HFC-410A refrigerant.

Key words: HCFC-22, HFC-410A, HC-290, residential air - conditioner, GWP, ODP, greenhouse gases