Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) has released figures showing the HVACR industry in the United States has almost completed its transition to lower GWP refrigerants in central ducted systems.
According to HARDI’s Unitary Market Intelligence Report, low GWP A2L equipment accounted for 91 per cent of distributor sales in September 2025, capping a year-long acceleration that began with single-digit adoption at the end of 2024.
HARDI CEO, Talbot Gee, said this transition has happened fast.
“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,” he said.
Despite the industry’s rapid adoption of A2L equipment, many distributors still hold limited R-410A inventory, which is at risk due to the installation prohibition in the US Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) 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 R-410A inventory without creating unnecessary waste or financial loss,” Gee said.
HARDI vice president of government affairs, Alex Ayers, said with the transition effectively complete, there is no environmental justification for preventing the installation of compliant equipment already in the supply chain.
“EPA’s proposal is a sensible fix, and we urge the agency to provide certainty for the entire channel quickly,” he said.
“HARDI is also encouraging EPA to evaluate and remove other installation and sell-through provisions affecting additional product categories.
“Consistent, predictable rules across all HVACR segments would better support a stable, market-based transition while minimising disruptions for contractors, distributors, and consumers.”
Just last week a multi-state coalition of 19 attorney generals in the US made a submission opposing the EPA’s proposal to stall the phase down of HFCs.
The coalition is seeking to retain the provisions of the US AIM Act, and its intention to phase down HFCs by 85 per cent by 2036. The coalition wants current phase down deadlines maintained.
The US EPA has proposed delaying the new refrigerant GWP limit for retail food refrigeration from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2032.
Currently, new remote condensing systems are limited to using refrigerants with 150 to 300 GWP, depending on the system. EPA’s proposed rule would raise the maximum GWP of the refrigerants that could be used to 1,400 from January 1, 2026, until 2032.