Many refrigerants — the material in a freezer or refrigerator that are used to create a cooling effect — are harmful to the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, they are labeled as having high “Global Warming Potential” or GWP.
Low GWP freezers and refrigerator do exist and can be spefically shopped for. These appliances usually used R-600a or R-441A refrigerants.
GWP ratings vary depending if you are looking at the number for the 25-, 50-, or 100-year impact of that material on the atmosphere. Lower numbers are better, so an ideal number would be 0, but ratings of 3 an under are considered good.
The common, but outdated, refrigerant called R-22 is a type of hydrochlorofluorocarbon. It’s sometimes labeled as HCFC-22 and has a GWP rating of about 1800 (100-year rating). On the other side of the spectrum there are substances like refrigerant grade ammonia (R-717) which has a GWP of 0, marking a vast improvement.
R-600a, or Iso-Butane, is an increasingly popular refrigerant 2022 thanks to its affordable price and low GWP (about 3). R-600 is commonly found in residential and small commercial refrigerators, freezers, water coolers, and drink dispensers.
Lowest GWP Refrigerators
| Model | Refrigerant Type | GWP | Inital Sale Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung RB16DG6000** | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | April 15, 2024 |
| LG LF26C8210* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | April 15, 2024 |
| LG LT18S1200* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | April 5, 2024 |
| LG LF26C6360* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 31, 2024 |
| LG LH29S8565* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 31, 2024 |
| LG LF31T6230* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 31, 2024 |
| LG LF29S8365* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 31, 2024 |
| Thermador T36BT120NS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T36IT100NP | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T36IB100SP | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T36BT110NS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T36BB120SS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T36BB110SS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 28, 2024 |
| Conservator GRMH141B* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 22, 2024 |
| LG LT18S1100* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 18, 2024 |
| LG LT18S1100* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 18, 2024 |
| Blomberg BRFB1900FBI | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 15, 2024 |
| Frigidaire Gallery FGFR334-6COM | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 11, 2024 |
| Frigidaire Gallery FGFR334 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 11, 2024 |
| Frigidaire GRBN2012A* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 4, 2024 |
| Liebherr SC7541IM | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Miele KFN 4776 ED edt/cs | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Liebherr SCB7760IM | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Liebherr SC7751 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Liebherr CB7790IM | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Liebherr C7540IM | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Liebherr SC7520 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2024 |
| Thermador T42BT110NS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T42BT120NS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T42IT100NP | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T48BT110NS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T48BT120NS | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 28, 2024 |
| Thermador T48IT100NP | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 28, 2024 |
| Frigidaire FRFN2813A* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 26, 2024 |
| Beko BBBF3019WE | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 14, 2024 |
| Beko BBBF2410 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 14, 2024 |
| LG LF20C6330* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 12, 2024 |
| LG LF20G6330* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 12, 2024 |
| LG LF25S6330* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | February 12, 2024 |
| Samsung RF29DB9600** | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | January 31, 2024 |
Lowest GWP Freezers
| Model | Refrigerant Type | GWP | Inital Sale Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore KRFU210AWE | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | September 20, 2023 |
| Kenmore KCFU210AWE | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | September 20, 2023 |
| True Refrigeration TUF-24-*-**-C | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | September 15, 2023 |
| Fisher & Paykel RS2474F3**# | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | August 4, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-017-2 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-017-1 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-017 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-017-3 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-017A | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-019 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-019-1 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-019A | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-019-3 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| BANGSON US-BSR-019-2 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | June 20, 2023 |
| Criterion CUF66C1W | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | May 24, 2023 |
| Criterion CUF36C1W | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | April 15, 2023 |
| Liebherr SF5291 | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | March 1, 2023 |
| Sub-Zero CL3650F/S/*/* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | November 4, 2022 |
| Sub-Zero DEC3650FI/* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | September 26, 2022 |
| Sub-Zero DEC3050FI/* | R-600a | R-600a (GWP:3 | Lower GWP) | September 26, 2022 |