Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

State National Chapter News

significantly increase demand, and EPA’s own analysis projects a 12 to 24 % increase in U.S. refrigerant prices by 2029 . ACCA announced on June 25 that they have joined the Heating, Air-conditioning, & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) and Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors – National Association (PHCC) in filing a petition for judicial review in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing that EPA did not follow required procedures in developing the Technology Transitions Reconsideration Final Rule. On June 26, manufacturers joined the fight as the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy filed their own suit on similar grounds. In seeking legal review, the trade associations’ goal is to have the rule partially vacated and then participate in a proper process that balances the interests of grocers and cold storage facilities with all others who depend on a stable and predictable refrigerant market. Why prices rise for every contractor and their customers EPA gave supermarkets and cold storage warehouses years of extra time to install systems using higher-GWP refrigerants, setting interim limits of 1,400 GWP for supermarket and remote condensing systems and 700 GWP for cold storage, all through 2032. That’s a major retreat from the 150/300 GWP framework in the 2023 rule.

ACCA, HARDI, and PHCC challenge EPA rule that would spike refrigerant prices In the first of several actions coordinated with other HVACR manufacturing, distribution, and contracting associations, ACCA and its partners have

filed suit to prevent increased refrigerant prices and a rushed transition to highly flammable A3 refrigerants that will threaten consumer affordability and safety. EPA’s final Technology Transitions Rule (TTR) handed contractors a real win in May, lifting the installation deadline for R 410A equipment that ACCA had fought hard to remove. That was the central recommendation in ACCA’s comments on the rule. But ACCA’s comments also urged EPA not to make changes that would increase demand for the limited supply of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants or hasten a transition to highly flammable A3 refrigerants. The final rule did exactly that. Allowing the continued manufacture of commercial refrigeration systems using legacy refrigerants until 2032 will