New Refrigerants are Almost Here – What You Need to Know
The HVAC industry is beginning to transition to new refrigerants required by the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020, which gradually phases down the use of existing classes of refrigerants and establishes new requirements for the refrigerants used in air conditioners and heat pumps. The new class of refrigerants has a lower global warming potential than current ones.
As part of this transition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set transition dates for new equipment required to use new refrigerants, commonly referred to as A2Ls.
Residential and light commercial air conditioners and heat pumps manufactured after Jan. 1, 2025, must use the new refrigerant. The equipment manufactured prior to this date has a one-year grace period to be installed — a Jan. 1, 2026, installation deadline.
For products that do not require field assembly, such as window air conditioning units, the rules establish the final date of sale as three years after the manufacture compliance date — a Jan. 1, 2028, sale deadline — without a compliance date for installation.