On May 21st 2026, the EPA officially removed the installation compliance date for residential and light commercial equipment, as discussed and predicted in previous posts. This updated ruling only impacts left-over R-410A inventory, for equipment manufactured and imported prior to 1/1/2025 (approximately 1.5 years ago), and intended for new systems. Many manufacturers no longer have any R-410A inventory for new systems in many product categories; however, some manufacturers are still sitting on a fairly large number of R-410A SKUs from before 1/1/2025. This expected ruling officially allows for this inventory to be installed in new systems.
As of today, VRV/VRF equipment is still following the dates originally set out for this equipment, which means that any left-over R-410A inventory manufactured and imported prior to 1/1/2026 (this deadline was one year later than most other residential and light commercial equipment), needs to be installed by 1/1/2027. However, it is the opinion of DXS that EPA’s earlier announcement that it would deprioritize enforcement of the installation compliance dates also applies to the VRV/VRF installation compliance date, reducing risks for owners and contractors installing VRV/VRF beyond 1/1/2027 (disclaimer: the official EPA rules still show an installation compliance date of 1/1/2027).
DXS does not expect any further major changes to the EPA refrigerant transition rules, as it pertains to residential, light commercial, and VRV/VRF equipment moving forward. The EPA may also officially remove the installation compliance date for VRV/VRF. Otherwise, the refrigerant transition away from R-410A (and other refrigerants) to R-32 (and other refrigerants) is well underway, and in most markets, A2L refrigerants are already becoming common practice.