US sales of low-GWP A2L unitary AC hit 91%
20th November 2025
USA: A new report claims that the US has nearly completed its transition to lower-global warming potential refrigerants in central ducted air conditioning systems.
According to the latest Unitary Market Intelligence Report from HARDI, the US HVACR distributors association, low-GWP A2L equipment accounted for 91% of their sales in September 2025. This caps a year long acceleration that began with single-digit adoption at the end of 2024.
Under the US AIM Act, a GWP limit of 700 was placed on new residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems from January 1 of this year.
“This transition has happened fast,” said HARDI CEO Talbot Gee. “Distributors and contractors have moved decisively toward the next generation of low-GWP refrigerants; now HARDI is focused on ensuring distributors are protected from risks created by installation deadlines that we oppose while ensuring the industry is protected from future unnecessary transitions.”
Despite the industry’s rapid adoption of A2L equipment, many distributors are reported to still hold limited R410A inventory, which is at risk due to the installation prohibition in the EPA’s Technology Transition Rule.
Under current rules, certain categories of residential and light commercial equipment may not be installed after specific deadlines, even if the equipment was manufactured before those dates and purchased in good faith.
To address this issue, HARDI has expressed support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to repeal the prohibition on installing these products based on their installation date. The change would allow distributors to responsibly sell through their remaining R410A inventory without creating unnecessary waste or financial loss.
“With the transition effectively complete, there is no environmental justification for preventing the installation of compliant equipment already in the supply chain,” said Alex Ayers, HARDI’s vice president of government affairs. “EPA’s proposal is a sensible fix, and we urge the agency to provide certainty for the entire channel quickly.”
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EPA proposals would disrupt US market – 14 October 2025
USA: The manufacturers’ association, AHRI, has warned that EPA proposals to roll back refrigerant phase-out dates would disrupt US manufacturers’ planning and re-open the market to outdated, high-GWP equipment. Read more…
