Ever since the courts ruled in 2017 that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not have the authority to phase down HFCs, the HVACR industry has been in limbo. OEMs that had been planning to transition from R-410A to lower-GWP refrigerants stopped in their tracks, waiting for guidance from the EPA. When that guidance did not come quickly, states started taking matters into their own hands.
California, for example, is proposing a GWP limit of 150 for new stationary refrigeration systems containing more than 50 pounds of refrigerant, starting on January 1, 2022, as well as a GWP limit of 750 for all new stationary air conditioning systems (residential and commercial) starting January 1, 2023. Washington, Vermont, New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon, and Hawaii have all announced that they intend to phase down HFCs, following the path outlined in the EPA’s Significant New Alternative Policy (SNAP) rules 20 and 21.