R-22, R-410A and R-454B: what the EPA dates mean for your unit
Air conditioners and heat pumps have gone through three refrigerants in a generation: R-22 until it was phased out,
R-410A after it, and now refrigerants with a lower global warming potential such as R-454B and R-32. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency set the dates. When you know when a unit was made, those dates tell you what was allowed at the time, but
not what is inside your particular unit.
The manufacture date does not tell you which refrigerant a unit uses. Read it on the rating plate (it names the refrigerant and the factory charge) or, for some brands, from a code in the model number.
The milestones
2010: new R-22 limited to servicing older equipment. EPA further limited the production and import of R-22 (HCFC-22) in 2010 and kept it for servicing equipment made before 2010. (in force )
1 January 2020: no new R-22 made or imported. Since 1 January 2020 no new R-22 is made or imported in the United States, and new central air conditioners for R-22 can no longer be bought. An existing R-22 system may still be used; service relies on recovered, recycled or older stock. (in force )
1 January 2025: GWP limit of 700 for new home AC and heat pump systems. Under EPA's Technology Transitions rule (AIM Act, 40 CFR part 84), new residential and light commercial AC and heat pump systems must use a refrigerant with a global warming potential of 700 or less, such as R-454B or R-32. R-410A, with a GWP of 2,090, is above that limit. Components made or imported before this date were treated separately. (in force )
27 July 2026: the 2026 installation deadline for older-component systems removed. A final rule signed on 21 May 2026 and published on 26 May 2026 (91 FR 31284), in force from 27 July 2026, removed the 1 January 2026 installation deadline for split systems whose components were all made or imported before 1 January 2025. Such R-410A systems may be installed while stock lasts. Industry groups have challenged parts of the rule in court; we have not checked the outcome. (in force )
Why the date of manufacture is not enough
Each milestone limited what could be made, imported or installed, not what already existed. R-22 systems built before 2010
kept running, and EPA allowed R-22 to remain available for servicing them. In the latest transition, equipment built from
components made before 2025 could still be installed afterwards, and the rule that took effect on 27 July 2026 removed the
2026 cut-off for those systems. A unit made or installed in 2025 or 2026 can therefore contain R-410A as well as R-454B or
R-32.
The decoder on each HVAC family page shows where your unit's date falls against these milestones, worded as a position
(before or after), never as a refrigerant. Near a milestone, a fiscal-week serial cannot place the unit precisely, and the
decoder says so.
Where the refrigerant is printed
The rating plate of every outdoor unit and heat pump names its refrigerant and the factory charge. Some model numbers also
carry a refrigerant code that the decoder reads when you enter the model:
EPA publishes petitions in which industry groups challenge parts of its 2026 rule before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
D.C. Circuit. We have not checked how those cases end, so the dates above are the rules as published; we will update this
page when the outcome changes them.
Questions
Do I have to replace an air conditioner that uses R-22?
EPA states that you may continue to use HCFC-22 in an existing system. What has ended is new production and import of R-22, so repairs depend on recovered, recycled or older stock. Whether a repair or a replacement makes sense is a question for a licensed technician who has seen the system.
My outdoor unit was made in 2025. Is it R-454B?
Not necessarily. Systems whose components were made or imported before 1 January 2025 may still be installed, and the May 2026 rule removed the deadline that would have ended that in 2026. Read the refrigerant on the plate.
Can I mix refrigerants or top up with a different one?
Refrigerant work is reserved for licensed technicians, and each system is designed and charged for the refrigerant on its plate. Do not handle refrigerant yourself.
Sources
EPA and Federal Register documents. The date is when we last read each one; refrigerant dates are re-checked at least every six months.