Refrigerant Changes Coming for Heat Pumps & AC in 2025!
Upcoming Refrigerant Changes in the HVAC Industry
Once again, changes are afoot in the HVAC industry, affecting the refrigerant gases that our installation and service teams at Save Home Heat Company will be using in new AC and heat pump systems. 2025 is the year these planned changes start taking place, so we’d like to provide an introduction to what’s happening, why it’s happening, and what our customers can expect.
The Changes You Can Expect in 2025
The phase change properties of the refrigerant gas in your system are what enables a heat pump or an air conditioner to do its job. Starting in 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that residential and smaller commercial AC units and heat pumps in the U.S. use a new, approved refrigerant. The reason is pretty straightforward: Compared with refrigerants such as the older R-22 and even R-410A, the new refrigerants have a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP).
In other words, the new, mandated refrigerants pose less risk for the health of the all important, protective ozone layer surrounding the Earth as part of our global atmosphere. These changes are in accordance with the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement that went into effect initially in 1989, and which has been amended a number of times since then. The stated goal of this treaty is to protect the ozone layer.
What Refrigerants Are Going Away in 2025?
Here’s a few highlights of the changes in refrigerants, and the current status of others:
- R-22: As far as new installations go, R-22 was actually phased out 5 years ago. R-22 was the go-to refrigerant in older home AC systems for many years, and quite a few of those systems are still in operation. While R-22 is currently still available for servicing purposes (reclaimed and cleaned up), it is very expensive and it’s also associated with less efficient systems, many of which don’t meet today’s efficiency standards. Combined with a high GWP and lower efficiency ratings, the trend we’re seeing is to replace those older R-22 based systems
- R-410A: Seen not long ago as a much less potentially harmful refrigerant than R-22, and used in many systems that aren’t particularly old, R-410A is now also being phased out in favor of refrigerants with an even lower GWP rating
- R-32 & R-454b: As these latest refrigerant changes relate to the products that our team at Save Home Heat installs, the refrigerants R-32 and R-454b are now some of the popular ‘new kids on the block,’ with even lower GWP ratings and helping to better protect our protective ozone layer than their predecessors
Heat Pumps & AC Systems Will Be Impacted By the 2025 Refrigerant Changes
In the residential installation work performed by our team at Save Home Heat, both central and mini-split air conditioning and heat pump systems will be impacted by the refrigerant changes. Our team is prepared to embrace these mandates and we assume that our customers will not notice the difference at all – other than they’ll know that the systems they purchase will be healthier for our environment!
In addition, the heat pump water heaters that we install will also go through similar changes. In the commercial market, where our team doesn’t tread, there will be a similar range of updates, as well.
Efficiency Ratings & the 2025 Refrigerant Replacements
The good news is that the new refrigerants will not particularly impact equipment efficiency ratings. In some cases, we may even see slightly higher SEER (cooling) and HSPF (heating) numbers. Of course, higher efficiency = lower electric bills! Our customers in the Denver metro region can rest assured that our team at Save Home Heat will be on top of all the details, making sure they receive efficient, high quality AC and heat pumps systems in 2025, just like in the past.
Older Systems and New Refrigerants: A Couple of FAQs
As the older refrigerants are phased out, some homeowners may have questions about their existing systems and how they fit into the puzzle. Here’s a few questions that our team at Save Home Heat Company anticipates hearing:
Will There Still Be Refrigerant for My Older System?
The refrigerants used in older systems will still available for repairs and servicing, at least in the short term. R-22, the ‘notorious’ older refrigerant mentioned above, was once the king of central AC refrigerant gases, but now it hasn’t been in production for approximately five years. The current sources for R-22 are reclaimed older refrigerant, cleaned and processed to meet new-refrigerant specs – and it’s very expensive. R-410A, on the other hand, will remain readily available for servicing existing systems for the foreseeable future. General rule of thumb: Once a refrigerant is phased out, it tends to become more expensive for servicing purposes, as time goes by.
Can I Convert My Existing System to the New Refrigerants?
Unfortunately, the answer is no – you cannot simply “swap out” the refrigerant in an older system for the new, “greener” refrigerants. While theoretically, a number of internal components could be replaced and an older system upgraded to function with the new refrigerants, the cost, complication, and potential for problems make this option not viable, at all – and that’s before considering the low efficiency rating of the older AC unit! When the time is right, replace the old system, including both the indoor evaporator coil and the outdoor condensing unit.
Expert Heating & Cooling Service in Denver Metro, Boulder, and the North Metro Region
Now is a good time to start thinking about a new air conditioner or heat pump installation in 2025. In over 45 years serving homeowners all around the Denver-Boulder, and Loveland-Ft. Collins area, you can count on the experience and expertise of our team at Save Home Heat Company. For more information about new air conditioner or heat pump system that meets the 2025 refrigerant standard, please reach out to our friendly comfort team today to schedule a free, zero pressure install quote.
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