Home › AC Refrigerant › Refrigerant shortage and the AIM Act
Short answer: there is no refrigerant shortage in the sense of your system being unserviceable. There is a scheduled, legally mandated reduction in how much HFC refrigerant can be produced each year, and that puts upward pressure on price. Those are different things, and the difference matters when someone uses the word “shortage” to sell you a system.
What the AIM Act actually does
The American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, enacted December 2020, directs the EPA to phase down production and consumption of HFCs — the refrigerant family that includes R-410A. Phase down, not phase out. The allowed volume steps down on a published schedule rather than stopping.
The Act works in three ways: it caps production and consumption, it sets rules aimed at maximising reclamation and minimising releases, and it restricts which refrigerants may be used in new equipment by sector. That third piece is the Technology Transitions rule, and it is the one homeowners actually notice.
What that means for equipment
New residential air conditioners and heat pumps manufactured or imported from January 1, 2025 must use a refrigerant with a GWP under 700. R-410A is about 2,088, so it is out for new equipment. R-454B (466) and R-32 (675) are in.
And then it loosened. On May 26, 2026, EPA issued a reconsideration final rule, effective July 27, 2026, that removed the installation deadline for R-410A equipment manufactured before the cutoff. That equipment can now be installed until existing supplies run out.
The three things people mean by “shortage”
1. “My system can’t be serviced.” False. Refrigerant for servicing existing equipment continues to be produced, and components used to repair existing systems are not restricted by these rules. Your R-410A system remains legal to own, run, service, and recharge.
2. “Prices are going up.” True, and structurally so. Each step down in allowed production tightens supply against demand. That is a gradual squeeze, not a cliff, and it is the reason to fix a leak properly rather than top off annually — you are buying into a market that gets tighter, not looser.
3. “I need to replace my system before it’s too late.” This is the one to be careful about. The rules restrict what manufacturers may build. They impose nothing on what you may keep. A phase-down is not a deadline for homeowners, and the EPA has never required anyone to replace working equipment.
If a quote leans on the word “shortage”
Ask a specific question: is my system unserviceable, or is refrigerant simply more expensive than it used to be? Those have very different answers. The second is true and worth factoring into a repair-versus-replace decision. The first is not true for R-410A, and it is only partly true for R-22 — where scarcity is real, but even there the EPA does not require replacement.
How this differs from R-22
R-22 is the closest thing to a genuine supply constraint, and it is worth understanding why it is different. R-22 was an ozone-depleting substance regulated under a different law entirely, and its production and import ended completely on January 1, 2020. Every pound available today is reclaimed or pre-2020 stock, drawn from a pool that only shrinks.
R-410A is not on that path. Production continues at declining volumes for servicing. If you have R-22, the economics genuinely do shift sooner — see the R-22 page for what that means in practice.
What to actually do about it
- Fix leaks rather than topping off. This is the one action the phasedown genuinely argues for. Refrigerant you lose is refrigerant you rebuy in a tightening market.
- Do not replace a healthy system on refrigerant grounds alone. Replace on age, repair cost, and efficiency.
- If you are replacing anyway, you will get R-454B or R-32. That is fine, and not a reason to rush or to delay.
Run the repair-versus-replace numbers with your own figures →
Related: R-410A · Refrigerant timeline · R-410A vs R-454B · New system decision guide
Frequently asked questions
Is there a refrigerant shortage in 2026?
Not in the sense that your system cannot be serviced. The AIM Act phases HFC production down on a schedule rather than ending it, and refrigerant continues to be produced for servicing existing equipment. Prices trend upward as allowed volume steps down, which is a cost issue rather than an availability crisis.
What does the AIM Act mean for homeowners?
Mainly that new equipment uses different refrigerant. The Act restricts what manufacturers may build, not what you may keep. Your existing system remains legal to own, service, and recharge, and the EPA does not require anyone to replace working equipment.
Will R-410A become unavailable?
Not the way R-22 did. R-22 production and import ended entirely in 2020, so its supply only shrinks. R-410A is being phased down, with production continuing at declining volumes for servicing existing systems. Expect gradual price pressure rather than a cutoff.
Should I replace my AC before refrigerant gets more expensive?
Not on that basis alone. Replace on age, repair cost, and efficiency. If you are weighing a large leak repair on an older system, refrigerant cost is one legitimate input among several, not the deciding factor.
Sources & verification
✓ Verified against a manufacturer, regulator, or standards source
- EPA, “Technology Transitions HFC Restrictions by Sector” — epa.gov
- EPA, “Homeowners and Consumers: Frequently Asked Questions” (HCFC phaseout) — epa.gov
- GWP values computed from the component exchange values in Appendix A to 40 CFR Part 84, the AIM Act regulated-substance list, rather than copied from secondary sources — epa.gov
Last reviewed 2026-08-31. How we verify what we publish →
