The EPA AIM Act is the federal law driving the HFC phase-down that is reshaping the HVAC industry. Its headline rule for residential work: effective January 1, 2025, all newly manufactured residential HVAC systems must use refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) below 700.
That single threshold set off the chain of changes Texas ACR contractors are now living through:
- R-410A (GWP ~2,088) is phased out of new equipment manufacturing — but EPA's May 2026 final rule (effective July 27, 2026) removed the January 1, 2026 installation cutoff, so split systems built from pre-2025 components may be installed until inventory runs out; sale and distribution of pre-2025 self-contained products (packaged, window, PTAC) ends January 1, 2028
- R-454B (GWP ~466) became the primary residential replacement, with R-32 (GWP ~675) as an alternative some manufacturers adopted
- Both replacements are A2L (mildly flammable) refrigerants requiring updated safety protocols, and the new equipment generally costs more
The AIM Act does not force replacement of existing systems — R-410A units can be maintained and serviced throughout their useful life. It is also separate from your EPA Section 608 certification and from TDLR licensing: it regulates the refrigerants and the equipment, not the licensee.
What it means for your renewal
Federal refrigerant policy lands in your truck as new equipment, new safety protocols, and new customer questions. CE is how you keep up — refrigerant handling and transitions count toward your 8 annual TDLR hours, and a current course translates the AIM Act timeline into what you can actually install this year.