Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

State National Chapter News

R454B and R32 as the transition between R410A and the next generations of refrigerants that will use CO2 and ammonia. For the next few years, depending on changes in EPA policy and rule, our industry must use R454B and R32. The reason this is a problem is that many insurance carriers are increasingly adding PFAS exclusions to Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies…This creates a critical coverage gap for HVAC contractors and property owners just as the industry transitions to these refrigerants. The exclusions read, "This insurance does not apply to: Bodily injury, property damage, or personal and advertising injury arising out of the actual, alleged, or threatened discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release, or escape of PFAS." While the insurance companies intended to exclude coverage from the Legacy PFAS, their broad definition extended to most A2Ls. We believe that this extension was inadvertent or perhaps based on a misunderstanding of the product and its required use. The exclusion of A2L refrigerants containing PFAS should be eliminated or modified for the following reasons: 1. Refrigerants containing PFAS are unavoidable products for the vast majority of Arkansas HVACR dealers 2. Federal law requires that A2L systems have internal sensors that detect a refrigerant leak and shut down the compressor to avoid pumping additional quantities of refrigerant to ambient surroundings or in the house or business 3. Federal law requires mechanical rooms be installed with refrigerant sensors and exhaust fans depending on the charge of the system and size of the room. Even small leaks are detected.

brought it to our attention after he got an exclusion attachment to his general liability policy. After that, we learned that the exclusion endorsement was becoming common. You’ll need to check with your provider to see if your next issue also contains the endorsement of exclusion. OK! Who cares. We all know that A2L equipment is equipped with a sensor that will evacuate the system if there is a leak and that mechanical rooms will be required to install a sensor to evacuate the larger amounts that could occur in larger systems. Of course, that is aimed at flammability issues. It is amazing that while we were fearing the “impending doom” caused by A2L minimal flammability, our industry seemed to have overlooked the PFA issue. Well, the issue is here and we have to deal with it. I have a neighbor that selected a brand of air conditioning equipment because it did not contain PFAS. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. His salesperson downplayed the risks while making sure my neighbor was aware of the risks. We will face sales by fear and that is a certainty. In researching this issue, we penned a letter to the Arkansas Insurance Department. Excerpts from the Association letter follow: The problem: Insurance companies are placing an exclusion on our general liability policies for our A2L systems that are classified as PFAS. The Arkansas HVACR industry is required by federal law to reduce the Global Warming Potential of refrigerants to below 700 and tracking down to 150 depending on application and regulatory schedule. The industry has adopted