The applicable safety standards from ASHRAE and UL have been updated, but most state building codes do not currently allow the installation of stationary comfort cooling equipment that contains A2Ls.

The federal AIM Act, which will phase down HFC refrigerants 85% by 2036, was designed to encourage a safe transition to lower-GWP refrigerants such as R-32 and R-454B in comfort cooling equipment. However, these alternatives to R-410A are mildly flammable (A2L) and thus require updated building codes and standards to ensure their safe use.

The applicable safety standards from ASHRAE and UL have been updated, but most state building codes do not currently allow the installation of stationary comfort cooling equipment that contains A2Ls. There are several exceptions, including Florida, Oregon, North Carolina, and Washington. These states have already updated their building codes to allow the use of A2L refrigerants in larger air conditioners and heat pumps, and several more states are looking to do the same — possibly later this year.

State Approval

The reason why some states are adopting A2Ls and others are not is that in the U.S., there are several building codes available, including the International Code Council (ICC) and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), and states typically adopt one or the other. The ICC has already updated its standards for the use of A2L refrigerants [in the 2024 edition], while the IAPMO has yet to finalize theirs, said Chris Forth, vice president of regulatory, codes and environmental affairs - ducted systems at Johnson Controls.

“Most states follow ICC guidelines and are, therefore, free to adopt those standards at any time,” he said. “However, there are some states — notably California — that follow the IAPMO, and they are at risk of not having their codes updated by 2025.”

That 2025 date is important, because as part of the rulemaking process for the AIM Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering banning the use of R-410A in new residential and commercial air conditioning equipment starting January 1, 2025. That date aligns with California’s HFC phasedown regulations, which require a 750 GWP limit for new air conditioning equipment starting in 2025, while VRF system manufacturers have until 2026 in order to comply with the new limit.

POSSIBLE BAN: EPA is considering banning the use of R-410A in new equipment as of 2025. Here, Zac DesJardins, owner and operator of Tennessee-based Quality Comfort Inc., services a York heat pump. (Courtesy of Quality Comfort Inc.)

In an ideal world, the model codes would be updated first, and changes to the model codes would cascade directly to the state codes, said Stephen Spletzer, principal engineer of Opteon™ refrigerants at Chemours. However, he added that model codes and state codes have their own cycles for doing updates, which often do not align.

Read full article here: https://www.achrnews.com/articles/146540-states-update-codes-to-allow-a2l-refrigerants