EPA Mandates Phase-Out of HFCs in HVAC Systems by 2025: Upgrade Now to Avoid Future Costs
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA, June 21, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — In late 2020, the U.S. President signed into law the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act which was finalized in September of 2021. The AIM Act is intended to authorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to handle the usage of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), or rather the elimination of HFCs, and transition to safer alternatives. As defined by the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (a United Nations Environment Programme UNEP convened initiative), HFCs are a group of synthetic gases primarily used for cooling and refrigeration. It is hypothesized by the UNEP that HFCs’ impact on global warming may be greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Due to the environmental harm from greenhouse gases and ozone depletion levels, the production and consumption of HFCs have been cut down significantly. The next steps of the AIM Act are to replace HFCs found in AC systems with an alternative that is eco-friendly with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 750 or less. The lower the GWP, the better, as it measures the heat trapped in the atmosphere in comparison to CO2.
As mentioned before by the Climate & Clean Air Coalition, air conditioning and refrigeration account for the larger portion of global HFC usage at about 47%. This has a direct effect on HVAC systems. In simple words, most current HVAC systems in use are not in compliance with the AIM Act and will need to see a change. However, most HVAC systems are not compatible with the new eco-friendly refrigerant that they must transition to. Signifying most systems will need to be upgraded. It is recommended to perform the upgrade before 2025 approaches, by then every homeowner will looking at transitioning which may cause a price surge.
Some HVAC professionals, like Super Brothers Plumbing Remodeling and HVAC Services, recommend that homeowners take proactive steps and schedule maintenance checkups on their HVAC systems. This will help determine whether the transition to new refrigerants can be done sooner rather than later. If there are any questions regarding a specific HVAC system, it is advised to contact HVAC professionals.
Super Brothers Team
Super Brothers Plumbing Heating & Air
+1 916-866-8770
info@superbrothers.com
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