California HFC Refrigerant Regulations

California has introduced a new law that will ban the use of higher GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerants above a certain threshold (CA SB1206).  Wholesalers and technicians need to be aware of these new rules taking effect January 1, 2025. Arkema would like to review some of the most important points so customers are aware of them and can properly prepare.  The full rule is available online on California’s CARB website.

Notable points from SB1206:

• Virgin refrigerants with a GWP equal or greater than 2,200 are banned starting January 1st, 2025.  This would affect refrigerants such as R-422A, R-422B, R-422C, R-422D, R-428A, R-438A, R-404A, R-407A, R-408A, R-507 currently used in HVAC-R. 
• Virgin refrigerants with a GWP equal or greater than 1,500 are banned starting January 1st, 2030.  This would affect, R-410A, R-407A and R-407C for example.
• Virgin refrigerants with a GWP equal or greater than 750 are banned starting   January 1st, 2033.  This would ban most of the currently available HFCs, with some notable exceptions such as R-32.
• Reclaimed refrigerant is exempt from these bans and can be used in OEM or for service.
• Wholesalers & Technicians need to remove all non-compliant refrigerants (i.e. virgin refrigerant above the GWP threshold) from service to avoid potential issues.
• Regulations apply to any person or business and to refrigerants in any quantity or type of packaging.
• Please note that technicians can still use Forane^® R-427A for R-22 retrofits. Forane^® R-427A is still allowed for service through the end of 2029.
• Any and all provisions of the AIM Act still apply.

Consult with your refrigerant supplier for more information, or contact our experts at Arkema Inc. Forane^® refrigerants for additional help at (800) 245-5858.  The GWP value for most refrigerants can be found by downloading our free Forane^® App.