
When Is Your Topping Off Coolant?
- September 26, 2021
By now you’ve probably heard about the new rules for coolant topping off at your home or office.
The rules are part of a push by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get rid of as many chemicals in the air as possible, and the new regulations are intended to reduce air pollution.
It will cost you $1,500, which is $50 more than the old rule.
The new rules are a significant boost to the EPA’s Coolant Tipping Program, which has been around since the 1990s.
Under the program, the agency collects data about how much coolant is being used at your workplace and sells it to third-party vendors.
Companies can get up to $3.9 million from the EPA to help them comply with the rules.
The program was first started in 2001, and it’s been expanded since then.
But the new EPA regulations have raised concerns from some quarters.
“The new rules will make the Clean Air Act enforcement even more burdensome,” Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) told Business Insider.
“It will make it even more difficult for businesses to comply.”
He added that businesses will need to “be more aggressive” in their efforts to reduce their CO2 emissions.
In order to meet the new cooling rules, companies will have to buy coolant that’s no more than 1.7% by weight of the standard coolant.
In other words, it will only be possible to buy 1.5% of the recommended coolant by weight.
“These new regulations will further exacerbate our air quality problem,” Rep Sessions said.
“We must act now to protect our air, and we must act soon.”
The EPA has not yet released details on what the new coolant rules will mean for the cost of compliance, but they’re likely to be pretty hefty.
The EPA’s official guidance says the program will cost companies $1.5 million to $4.5 billion.
Companies will be required to purchase coolant in 1.4% increments, or 1.8% increments.
For example, if a company bought 1.2% of its recommended coolants from a third-parties vendor, it would have to purchase 1.9% of those coolants, and 1.6% of each of the other 2.4%.
The EPA says the cost will be $1 per 1,000 lbs of CO2.
The costs of compliance for businesses will likely be higher because the EPA will have the authority to fine companies $500,000 for each ton of CO 2 they are found to be in violation of the regulations.