"This is more than a manufacturing milestone for Copeland," said Scott Barbour, president of Copeland's air-conditioning division. "Reaching 1 million R-410A scroll compressors in the marketplace is a strong indicator of the refrigerant's proven performance and acceptance by all major OEMs."

Barbour said that Copeland's market data indicate that R-410A products are the fastest growing segment in residential air conditioning.

"The fact that R-22 systems will be phased out in six years, yet the systems have a 15-year life, has become a strong selling point for contractors selling R-410A systems today. For this reason, we are now seeing significant growth in the commercial market as well," he said.

R-410A products are available through all major air-conditioning equipment manufacturers, including Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Amana, Rheem, York and Nordyne.

"Based on our experience and testing to date, we believe R-410A is the best, long-term solution for air conditioning systems," said Ken Monnier, vice president of engineering for Copeland's air-conditioning division. "When paired with proven scroll technology, the refrigerant's performance is further enhanced in the areas of energy efficiency, reliability, sound and capacity modulation."

Copeland introduced the first

R-410A compressor in 1996.