If you are the owner or property manager for commercial buildings with rooftop HVAC equipment, please take notice. Major changes are in effect due to the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandates to eliminate R410A refrigerant. R410A has been utilized in HVAC equipment since 2010. Prior to that, R22 was the refrigerant of choice.
Effective January 1, 2025, manufacturers are required to utilize either R454B or R32 in all newly manufactured equipment. Confusing enough?
As a result of these mandates, equipment is being reengineered to accommodate these changes, and costs are going up while inventories are going down. What does this mean for you? If your commercial equipment is less than 15 years old, you don’t need to panic… yet. If it predates 2010, it’s time to start looking at options immediately. The R22 refrigerant that is most likely contained in equipment from that era has been phased out and is nearly impossible to acquire. In addition, parts for that equipment have been getting harder and harder to come by.
It’s time to put together a plan to upgrade to new equipment. By putting your head in the sand, you’re running the risk of being left with no cooling in the summer months and no heat during the winter. Additionally, lead times on certain types of equipment over the past few years have been astronomical. In some cases, there were up to 30+ weeks of lead times, depending on size.
Do not wait until it’s too late. The mandate has already taken effect, and manufacturers are scrambling to sell existing R410A equipment that is still in stock (must be sold by 12/31/25), fill inventories with new equipment, and do their best to provide parts for everything else still existing.
If you do not have a service provider, please contact us. We can help you with a proactive plan to avoid costly downtime and angry tenants & employees. Protect your investment by acting quickly.