The R-410A refrigerant change, for homeowners
Nobody is coming to take your R-410A system away, and a technician can still fix it with R-410A parts. The federal change is about new equipment: home AC and heat pump systems assembled from components made from January 1, 2025 on have to run on a refrigerant rated below 700 for global warming potential.
Open the condenser's data plate first
The silver label on the side of the outdoor unit names the refrigerant. On a Rockford house that answer tells you which part of this page applies.
| Plate says | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| R-410A | Keep running it and keep repairing it. EPA's FAQ says a broken condensing unit, coil or smaller component can be swapped for a comparable R-410A part, because repair components for existing systems fall outside the restriction. Newly made R-410A parts carry a label saying they are for servicing existing equipment only. |
| R-22 | An older system. Production of R-22 for servicing has been phased out, so the supply that remains is costly. Repair or replace. |
| R-454B or R-32 | Built to the new limit. EPA's FAQ lists R-32 under 700 GWP, and identifies both R-32 and R-454B as mildly flammable, allowed only in equipment designed for them. |
The rule, and the part that moved
EPA's Technology Transitions rule, issued under the AIM Act, set the 700 GWP ceiling for new residential and light commercial AC and heat pump systems, effective January 1, 2025. The first version also carried a hard stop: no installing new R-410A systems after January 1, 2026, regardless of when the parts were built.
That stop is gone for one group. EPA's reconsideration rule dated May 26, 2026 lifted the installation deadline for systems whose every component was manufactured or imported before January 1, 2025, per the sector table EPA updated on August 28, 2026. You may still run across an EPA page with the old date on it.
Buying a new system in 2026
Expect the quote to list R-454B or R-32 equipment, with a matched condenser and coil. Bolting a new condenser onto the old R-410A coil sitting on your furnace is a cheaper-looking quote for a different product, and it should be described honestly as that. Ask the installer two plain questions: which refrigerant is in the quoted equipment, and is the coil included. What a full replacement costs.
Efficiency floors were set separately and did not move with the refrigerant rule. For the northern region, Illinois among it, a split air conditioner installed since 2023 must reach 13.4 SEER2; a heat pump must reach 14.3 SEER2.
Asked around Rockford
Do I have to replace my R-410A air conditioner?
No. Per EPA, the rule leaves existing systems alone, and repairs can keep using R-410A components.
Can new R-410A systems still be installed?
Only if every component was made or imported before January 1, 2025, under the reconsideration rule EPA issued in May 2026. Anything built from newer components has to use a refrigerant below 700 GWP.