Refrigerant Phase-outs
What refrigerants have been phased out?
R-22 and R-410 are the most well-known of the HCFC and HFC refrigerants that have been phased out over the last several years. The R-22 phase-out made HCFCs banned by the start of 2020, using HFCs like R-410A as the replacements. Starting in 2025, the R-410A phase-out banned the import of HFCs, replacing these refrigerants with A2L refrigerants which are not ozone-depleting like it’s predecessors.
Why is this happening?
The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) is trying to reduce the effects of global warming by phasing out refrigerants that have a GWP (Global Warming Potential) of over 700. The global HFC phasedown is expected to avoid up to 32.9°F of global warming by the year 2100. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, the GWP levels for R-410A are 2088.
How does this affect me?
The majority of homes use R-22 or R-410A refrigerant for their HVAC and refrigeration systems. If your system were to need more refrigerant added to it, it could be costly as the price of these phased-out refrigerants increase as they become less available. There are no options to retrofit an existing HVAC system to take the A2L refrigerant so a complete system replacement would be necessary. Attempting to use A2L refrigerant in an existing HVAC system is against EPA rules.
If you were looking to purchase a new system, it would be an A2L system. A2L refrigerants have a lower environmental impact than R-410A with similar operating characteristics.
No Worries!
Rest assured, Edgerton’s staff are all trained on the new A2L refrigerants. Our team will be able to assist you with your HVAC needs no matter what system you currently have or are looking to looking to get installed.