U.S. To Ban R134a Refrigerant From 2024

As part of numerous changes in the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection’s (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy Program (SNAP), on December 1, 2016, the U.S. government announced that effective January 1, 2024, some commonly used refrigerants will be banned in newly produced cold water Used in units, including R134a, R410A, and R407C. Affected are HFCs refrigerants and mixtures with higher GWP values.

The scope of the changes also involves restrictions on the use of high GWP HFC gases in newly produced domestic and commercial refrigeration equipment and bans on the use of Class A3 flammable refrigerants in equipment/system retrofits.

From January 1, 2024, 25 refrigerants are banned for positive displacement and centrifugal chillers, including high GWP refrigerants R134a, R410A, and R407C.

Commonly used high GWP refrigerants R404A and R507C are also included in the list of 24 refrigerants banned from use in new production food cooling equipment (cooling food processing and sales equipment) from January 1, 2021. From January 1, 2023, the above 2 refrigerants and 19 other refrigerant products are prohibited from being used in new cold storage.

This policy is expected to open the door to the hydrocarbon refrigerant market. Class A3 flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants, previously listed on SNAP, are permitted for use in domestic refrigerators and freezers, and based on the new regulations, they can also be used in newly produced commercial ice makers, water coolers, and ultra-low temperature refrigeration equipment.

As an alternative to R134a refrigerant for automotive air conditioning systems, HFO refrigerant R1234yf will expand its range of use in newly produced medium-duty passenger cars, heavy-duty trucks, and vans.

Further restrictions on Class A3 flammable refrigerants, including an explicit prohibition of their use as retrofit refrigerants in domestic and light commercial air conditioners, as well as heat pumps and split units. Currently, these air-conditioning systems and heat pumps sold in the United States contain flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants and mixtures that primarily replace R22.

In addition, the combustible propylene and hydrocarbon mixture R443A is prohibited from being used in newly produced domestic and light commercial air conditioners and heat pumps, cold storage, centrifugal chillers, and volumetric chillers.