alt Hacker NewsEurope is using lots of refrigerants like r600 (isobutane) and r290 (propane).
They work really well, with the downside they are very explosive. However stories of airconditioners blowing up are really rare - it seems the risk is probably worth it for the environment.
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sidewndr46 • today at 3:21 PM
Propane, butane, etc. are not explosives. They are not going to just energetically decompose. They are combustible, but it turns out most things worth having on earth are combustible
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I've been recharging the AC system on my vintage daily driver — a late 1960s Mercedes-Benz sedan — with common off the shelf campstove propane for 30 years. Keeps me cool regardless of outside Los Angeles heat. Requires a bit of care while doing a recharge, but it's nothing too crazy. My grandfather ran a dairy farm in Connecticut, he showed me this trick in the 80s. We used propane to keep all the cooling equipment in the milk houses running smooth back then. I'm curious about isobutane now.