R-410A phase-out

The short answers

What the 2025 rule did

The Technology Transitions rule (88 FR 73098, October 24, 2023) set a GWP limit of 700 for new residential and light commercial AC and heat pump systems, effective January 1, 2025. R-410A’s GWP is 2,088 on the AR4 basis EPA uses, so it is over the limit. R-454B (466) and R-32 (675) are under it.

The limit applies to the manufacture and import of self-contained products such as window units and PTACs, and to the installation of new split systems. Under 40 CFR 84.54(c)(1), a new residential or light commercial system over the limit “may continue to be installed where all specified components of that system are manufactured or imported prior to January 1, 2025.”

The 2026 change

That allowance first had a cutoff. An interim final rule published December 26, 2023 gave pre-2025 equipment one extra year, to January 1, 2026, according to the 2026 preamble. Many pages still give January 1, 2026 as a hard installation deadline for R-410A split systems, and that is out of date.

The final rule published May 26, 2026 (91 FR 31284), effective July 27, 2026, “removes the installation deadline for systems in the residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps (AC/HP) subsector, where all specified components of such systems were domestically manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025.”

The limits in that rule:

• It does not allow any new manufacture or import of R-410A equipment for new installations. EPA calls the remaining stock “finite and decreasing.”
• Equipment must have been made in the US, or imported into the US, before January 1, 2025. EPA says units made in Mexico or Canada before 2025 but imported after that date “may not be installed as components of a new system.”
• VRF is separate. R-410A VRF installs were restricted from January 1, 2026, with a pre-2026-components allowance until January 1, 2027 (84.54(c)(2)). The 2026 rule did not extend that.

Servicing and replacement parts

Repairing existing R-410A equipment remains legal. In the 2026 preamble, EPA says that condensing units are “specified components” that are not subject to the manufacture, import or sale restrictions, which “allow[s] for the continued servicing and maintenance of existing equipment.” It also says: “a homeowner can choose to replace their failed condensing unit rather than purchase a whole new system,” and “the replacement of a condensing unit on an existing system is allowed and is not considered the installation of a new system.”

That means R-410A condensing units built after 2025 can be sold for repair and replacement, but not used to put in a new system. What counts as a new system is set in 84.54(e): assembling a system for the first time from used or new components, increasing an existing system’s cooling capacity, or replacing most of a system’s major components.

Other service rules for residential R-410A:

• Leak repair: the HFC leak repair rule at 40 CFR 84.106 does not apply to residential and light commercial AC/HP.
• Reclaimed refrigerant: the January 1, 2029 reclaimed-only servicing rule at 40 CFR 84.112(e) covers supermarkets, refrigerated transport and automatic commercial ice makers, not residential AC.
• Sales: R-410A sale is restricted to certified technicians under 40 CFR 82.154(c), and venting is prohibited.

Supply of R-410A

No rule sets a date when R-410A stops being made. Supply is limited by the HFC production and consumption cap at 40 CFR 84.7: 60% of baseline for 2024–2028, 30% for 2029–2033, 20% for 2034–2035 and 15% from 2036. The cap covers all HFCs together, weighted by exchange value, so a high-GWP refrigerant like R-410A uses up more of it per pound.

Reclaimed R-410A is part of the supply. Since January 1, 2026, refrigerant sold as reclaimed may not contain more than 15% virgin HFC by weight (84.112(a)).

We do not publish refrigerant prices. Price depends on region, distributor and date; check with your supply house.

Repair or replace: what to weigh

The regulations do not force a residential R-410A replacement. The decision comes down to the equipment and the owner. Points that come from the rules and the OEM documents:

• A repair keeps R-410A. Recharging, a compressor change, a coil change or a condensing unit replacement on an existing system are all allowed.
• A new system means a new refrigerant unless pre-2025 R-410A equipment is available. That stock will not be replenished.
• R-454B is not a retrofit. Rheem’s R-454B instructions say R-410A systems should not be retrofitted with R-454B. They also say an R-410A or R-22 indoor coil “has not been evaluated for use with R-454B and may lack a refrigerant detection system necessary for safe operation.” Changing to R-454B means a matched indoor and outdoor system.
• Line sets. Rheem says an existing R-410A or R-22 line set reused for an R-454B unit must be purged and flushed with nitrogen, and recommends replacing it if possible. Line-set joints must be brazed, welded, or mechanical fittings listed to UL 207. The line set charge calculator covers the charge adder.
• Future supply. The cap steps down to 30% in 2029, and EPA’s 2026 preamble also records shortages of R-454B in service cylinders in some regions during the 2025 transition.
• Code. A2L equipment brings its own requirements, such as UL 60335-2-40 listing and, depending on charge and room area, a refrigerant detection system. See the A2L refrigerants guide.

For side-by-side differences, see R-410A vs R-454B, R-410A vs R-32 and the R-410A replacement options.