US contractors call for VRF R410A ban repeal
21st November 2025USA: With the US considering cancelling the Aim Act’s deadline to eliminate R410A from ducted AC systems, contractors have called for the repeal to be extended to VRF systems.
The new proposal from the US Environmental Protection Agency would eliminate the January 1, 2026, installation deadline entirely for residential and light commercial systems. Any R410A equipment manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025, could be installed at any time, removing the calendar-based restriction that threatened to strand functional equipment.
The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has called for the same repeal to be extended to VRF systems.
The current rule provides one additional year, until January 1, 2027, for the installation of new variable refrigerant flow systems used for residential and light-commercial air conditioning and heat pumps when using components that are manufactured in the United States or imported into the United States before January 1, 2026.
The ACCA points out that VRF equipment faces the same challenges of complex, multi-component systems with extended construction timelines and risk of stranded inventory.
It argues that removing arbitrary installation deadlines across all equipment sectors would prevent functioning systems from being discarded at fire-sale prices and lets contractors manage inventory based on actual supply and demand.
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