I’ve just finished a series of ‘brunch and learn’ sessions with my fantastic colleagues in our 121 teams and it inspired me to write this article, focusing on how change is often viewed negatively but actually how it can really be a good thing.
Reflecting on my years at Mitsubishi Electric, which is a company built on the belief of “Changes for the Better,” I’ve realised that this isn’t just a slogan – it literally sits at the heart of our values and gives us confidence that change can lead to improvement.
But I also realise that we’re all human and change often makes us uncomfortable.
That discomfort exists for a reason: it’s part of our natural, primal instinct to keep ourselves safe. If you look at the Kübler Ross Change Curve, you’ll see that we all experience a range of emotions when change happens to us, whether expected or not.
The MSZ RZ air conditioning unit highlights to installers, exactly what the future is going to look like
Jo Lambert Product Manager for split air conditioning systems
Change is coming to HVAC
At Mitsubishi Electric, we understand these feelings—especially when we speak to customers about refrigerant changes.
Why is this happening? What does it mean for my business? What if I don’t adapt?
These are valid questions. And having open, honest conversations about the why’s, the when’s and, most importantly, the how’s, is the best way to move forward as an industry without fear.
The Future Is Here
Introducing R290 and the MSZ RZ
The reason for my tour of our 121 colleagues was to focus on the introduction of R290 – and the launch of our MSZ RZ air conditioning unit, which marks an important milestone in highlighting to installers, exactly what the future is going to look like.
That future begins in 2027, and Mitsubishi Electric is committed to supporting our customers businesses as we navigate this evolving product landscape together.
We know that many customers are now being asked to supply products using refrigerants with lower global warming potential (GWP). The MSZ RZ offers exactly that.
But we also appreciate that new technology can bring uncertainty, so we will be providing a free online training course to help you get up to speed.
Training, Tooling and Transition
We recognise that our customers may want to better understand A2L refrigerants such as R290 and that’s where Mitsubishi Electric is here to help.
Through our dedicated Partner Programme, we can support the costs of external training courses for our customer’s entire team.
We also understand that new tooling may be required to install this equipment, and again, through the Partner Programme, we can offer contributions to help businesses prepare.
Safety by Design
The MSZ RZ R290 air conditioning unit has been developed with safety absolutely front and centre.
The unit is available in 2.5kW; 3.5kW and 5kW wall mounts and also includes:
- A GWP of just 0.02
- A built-in leak detection alarm and visual warning lights
- Built-in Wi-Fi
- A detectable odour added to the refrigerant to support safe identification in the unlikely event of a leak
Literally every element has been designed to give installers and end users confidence and peace of mind.
My closing thought
R290 air conditioning represents a major part of the future of our industry, and our 121 Team is excited to be part of the movement toward more environmentally responsible solutions.
Together with our customers we will continue to raise standards and awareness, all while lowering GWP.
For anyone not quite ready to embrace R290, I’d still recommend that they take time to complete the online training.
They may not be ready to purchase an MSZ RZ today, but may need an R290 product sooner than expected.
Preparing now—by training, tooling, and building confidence—means the change won’t feel nearly as uncomfortable when it arrives.
Change is coming. Equip yourself now, and you can turn it from a threat into an opportunity.
Jo Lambert is Product Manager for split air conditioning systems
