Next-Gen Refrigerants: Making Sense of Changing Regulations 

Why the Change?

If you’ve been in the HVACR game a while, you’ve probably worked with R-410A and other HFC refrigerants. These hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been the industry standard for years — stable, reliable and great at moving heat. But there’s a catch: they’re also potent greenhouse gases. In fact, some HFCs have global warming potentials (GWPs) thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide.

In 2022 alone, U.S. industries released more than 200 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions from fluorinated gases. That’s like putting 40 million gas-powered cars on the road. Clearly, it’s time for a change.

The good news? The industry is already moving toward cleaner, more efficient refrigerants — and there’s a clear roadmap to help you make the switch.

Compliance Deadlines

In December 2020, Congress passed the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, directing the EPA to cut the use of HFCs because of their contributing to global warming. To achieve this, the EPA has created two important deadlines:

• Manufacturing compliance by January 1, 2025 — manufacturers and OEMs were banned from producing or importing brand-new equipment that used high-GWP refrigerants.
• Installation compliance by January 1, 2026 — this deadline is much more relevant to the everyday business operations of wholesalers, contractors and technicians. When put into effect, it will ban the installation of any pre-existing equipment designed to use high-GWP refrigerants (which would have to have been produced before the 2025 manufacturing deadline). This means all installations on or after the first day of 2026 will be required to use refrigeration equipment designed to safely handle A2Ls, CO2 or other acceptable low-GWP refrigerants.

While the threshold for “low-GWP” varies by sector and system size, it generally falls around 150-300 for most commercial refrigeration and cold storage applications you will encounter.

State-by-State Regulations

On top of federal regulations, several states are creating or have created their own sets of laws for refrigerants and their equipment. One example is California’s Air Resources Board (CARB), whose rules are more aggressive than the national standard. The state’s limits bring GWP thresholds to

under 150 (vs. AIM’s 300) for most refrigeration applications and take effect earlier — some CARB rules took effect all the way back in 2022 (vs. AIM’s 2025-2026). Others have followed suit: the U.S. Climate Alliance is a coalition of states committed to adopting CARB-style regulations. By standardizing policies across the country, the Alliance hopes to bring consistency to the industry as well as promote best practices and maximize progress towards emissions goals.

To learn more or to find an updated list of state-by-state regulations, you can visit Heatcraft's Regulatory Overview Page.

The New Refrigerants

A handful of refrigerants available today meet these new low-GWP requirements:

• Refrigerant-grade ammonia (R-717) has a GWP of zero — the lowest possible — but is highly toxic and thus unsuitable or even illegal for most use cases.
• CO2 (R-744) is non-toxic and has a GWP of only 1, which makes it virtually immune to future regulations. However, the higher pressures it requires need special equipment that currently make it cost prohibitive for some commercial environments.
• Hydrocarbon refrigerants such as propane (R-290) also meet low-GWP standards, but their chemistry makes them highly flammable and thus more challenging to install and operate safely.
• This leaves the A2L family of refrigerants — the best option for most of your projects. They are non-toxic and only mildly flammable, with GWPs just 150-300 times that of CO2 and a fraction that of HFCs. Some common A2Ls include hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and HFO blends such as R-454A (GWP of 238), R-454C (GWP of 148) and R-455A (GWP of 146), as well as others.

What’s Different?

A2L technology is not new — it has been used and tested around the world for years now. Only now, however, is the industry moving towards these new refrigerants at scale — but plenty of resources already exist and continue to be created to ease that transition.

Safety

Since A2Ls are mildly flammable, you might wonder whether they are more dangerous than A1 refrigerants. The short answer is yes, but only without proper training, which is widely available to anyone who needs it. The fact of light flammability means these substances must be subject to a different set of safety standards and handling requirements than their non-flammable peers.

Because of this, existing A1-rated systems cannot be retrofitted to handle A2L refrigerants. According to codes set out by UL and ASHRAE, systems must be purpose-designed to handle A2Ls and must have a few critical features which older systems are missing:

• Proper airflow and a built-in ventilation system,
• Integrated leak detection with warning alarms and
• Clear labeling indicating compatibility with and the presence of A2Ls.

Installation

The installation process for an A2L-ready unit is not much different either. Many existing tools will work with A2Ls, with only a couple additional steps:

• A refrigerant detection system (RDS) must be integrated into the unit and
• Recovery machines designed for mildly flammable refrigerants must also be installed.

To see just how simple it is to add an RDS Kit to existing dual-rated units, check out this video produced by Heatcraft’s training team.

Servicing

Since the designs of these systems follow familiar refrigeration principles, technicians can continue to service these units as they always have. The key difference is simply being careful to follow A2L best practices and safety protocols when charging and switching refrigerants.

If you have more questions about the differences between A1 and A2L systems, you can visit Heatcraft’s A2L Refrigeration Equipment FAQ Page.

Leading the Change

Here’s the upside: this transition isn’t just about compliance — it’s a chance to get ahead.

Heatcraft already offers dual-rated systems that work with both A1 and A2L refrigerants. That means you can install a unit today using an A1 refrigerant and easily switch to an A2L later — no full replacement needed.

This flexibility helps:

• Contractors streamline installs and reduce callbacks,
• Wholesalers simplify inventory and
• Customers avoid costly and premature upgrades down the road.

Next Steps

Explore Heatcraft’s dual-rated system offerings in our product catalog and familiarize yourself with the many resources available to help you along the transition, including:

• The calculators and search tools built into Heatcraft’s HUB,
• The Refrigeration Toolkit app for iOS and Android,
• Video walkthroughs such as this RDS Kit conversion for dual-rated units and
• Product training courses that you can register for HERE.

Still have more questions? You can reach out to one of our refrigeration experts at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can get in touch with a sales representative to help you along your purchasing journey.