Refrigerant guide
What the Refrigerant Phase Out Means for Your Air Conditioner
R-22 ended in 2020 and new R-410A systems cannot be installed from 2026. Your air conditioner can still be repaired; here is what changes when it needs refrigerant.
Not sure which refrigerant your system runs on? Call and we will tell you. We answer the phone or call back the same working day.
The short answer
The Refrigerant Phase Out in Brief
The refrigerant phase out is the federal schedule that ended R-22 in 2020 and, under the EPA's AIM Act rules, is moving new air conditioners from R-410A to lower-impact A2L refrigerants.
It does not switch off the air conditioner you already have. It changes which refrigerant can still be had for it, what that refrigerant costs, and what a new system runs on. The U.S. EPA: Phaseout of Class II Ozone-Depleting Substances sets out the phaseout that ended R-22.
- R-22Older systems, often called "Freon"
- R-410ABeing phased down
- A2LR-454B or R-32 in new equipment
The schedule, refrigerant by refrigerantThree refrigerants, three stages: one gone, one going, and the one that new air conditioners run on now.
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2020Gone
R-22 Freon, Phased Out in 2020
R-22, the refrigerant most homeowners know as "Freon", was phased out in 2020 and is now scarce and expensive.
An R-22 system can still run and still be repaired. Any refrigerant it needs comes from a shrinking supply, so a leak on one of these units costs more to put right every year it stays in service.
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2025 2026Phasing down
R-410A: Equipment Made Until 2025, Installed Until 2026
Under the EPA's AIM Act rules, R-410A home equipment stopped being made on 1 January 2025, and new R-410A systems cannot be installed from 1 January 2026.
An R-410A system already in your home can still be kept and serviced. What changes is the refrigerant: R-410A supply is shrinking and its price per pound rises every year.
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A2LIn new equipment
A2L Refrigerants: R-454B and R-32
New air conditioners run on an "A2L refrigerant", usually R-454B or R-32, which has a much lower global warming potential.
A2L refrigerants are mildly flammable but burn very slowly. That changes how the equipment is built and handled, not how it behaves in your home.
Weighing the job
AC Replacement or Repair for Older Systems
An older R-22 or R-410A air conditioner can still be repaired, but the scarcer its refrigerant gets, the more a large refrigerant repair leans toward replacing the system.
A small electrical fix is one thing. A leak that needs a full recharge, or a failed coil or compressor, is where the price of the refrigerant starts to decide the answer.
A system that is 10 or more years old, runs on R-22, or keeps needing repairs is often better replaced. Either way, you get the price of the whole job before any work starts, and the estimate is free.
AC Replacement in BellFind the refrigerant on the outdoor unit's nameplate, then read its panel below.
Runs on R-22
- Can it be repaired?
- Yes
- The refrigerant
- Phased out in 2020, scarce and expensive
- Which way it leans
- Replacement is often the better call
Runs on R-410A
- Can it be repaired?
- Yes, it can be kept and serviced
- The refrigerant
- Supply shrinking, price per pound up every year
- Which way it leans
- Weigh a large refrigerant repair against replacing
Refrigerant Handling During AC Repair
Charging a system with refrigerant takes EPA-certified handling equipment and proper leak testing, so topping up an air conditioner is a technician's job, not a guess.
The U.S. EPA sets out the refrigerant handling rules and the technician certification behind them.
On a low-refrigerant call the work goes in this order.
Find the leakLeak testing locates where the refrigerant is getting out.
Repair itRefrigerant added to a leaking system only leaks out again.
Charge to the readingsThe "superheat and subcooling" gauge readings are checked against the manufacturer's target.
Google reviews
Neighbors on the work
These are our Google reviews, as the customers wrote them.
Great service at a great price. Very nice and respectful too.
They did a great job. Javier and his team are very professional and courteous and respectful. I definitely recommend them. They saved us thousands
They did fantastic job at a great price. Javier And his team were really professional and super nice. Appreciate the great work they did!👊🏾😎
Older AC acting up? Call before you decide.
Tell us what the system is doing, and what refrigerant it runs on if you know. We find the fault and quote the whole job, repair or replacement, before any work starts.
Free, no-obligation estimates, and we show up when we say we will.