Hudson Technologies, D.C. utility launch refrigerant recovery pilot

Refrigerant reclaimer Hudson Technologies has partnered with a Washington, D.C.-based utility incentive program to launch the nation’s first ‘refrigerant recovery pilot,’ according to a Monday announcement. 

What’s happening: The pilot combines support and funding from the ‘D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility’ with an existing Hudson Technologies program that pays contractors for recovered refrigerant, while providing training, supplying storage containers, and covering shipping costs. 

Why it matters: The program is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by converting “what was an expense for contractors into a revenue stream,” the announcement states, unlike “traditional utility programs that solely measure success in energy savings.” 

• The big picture: While dated a few years, the total amount of HFCs reclaimed in 2022 equaled less than five percent of the total annual consumption, Kate Houghton, a senior vice president at Hudson, tells Homepros.  

What they’re saying: “We want to make sure that when a unit comes offline and is being serviced, recovering refrigerant is an easy task,” she adds. “It has value… We’re going to pay for that, and you’re contributing to [the] supply chain so that in the future, when you need 410A, it’s there.”