The R-410A refrigerant change, for homeowners

The rule in plain terms

The Technology Transitions rule, written under the AIM Act, caps the global warming potential (GWP) of refrigerant in new home and light commercial air conditioners and heat pumps at 700, starting January 1, 2025. R-410A sits well above that cap. R-32 sits below it, per EPA's FAQ, and EPA groups R-32 and R-454B as mildly flammable, meaning they go only into equipment built to handle them.

EPA has already moved the goalposts once. Under the original version, installers would have had to stop putting in new R-410A systems on January 1, 2026, even ones made from pre-2025 parts. A reconsideration rule dated May 26, 2026 dropped that cutoff for any system whose parts were all made or imported before January 1, 2025, according to the sector table EPA updated on August 28, 2026. You will still find EPA pages that show the old date, so check which version a contractor is quoting.

Keeping the system you have

For a Greenville house with a 2010s heat pump, common in the newer subdivisions around Winterville, the practical answer is simple. EPA's FAQ says existing systems can keep running and keep being repaired. A dead outdoor unit, a leaking indoor coil or a smaller part can be swapped for a like R-410A part, because repair components are outside the restriction. New R-410A repair parts made after January 1, 2025 carry a label saying they are only for servicing existing equipment.

The system that really has a problem is the one older still, on R-22. Fixr prices R-22 at $50 to $80 a pound and R-410A at $12 to $25, so a leak on an R-22 unit is usually the moment to get a replacement number.

Buying a new system

Expect the quote to name R-32 or R-454B, and expect the indoor coil or air handler to be replaced along with the outdoor unit, since the two halves have to be designed for the same refrigerant. A new outdoor unit bolted onto the old R-410A coil in your hall closet is a different job from a matched system, and it should be priced and described as one. Ask which refrigerant is in the quoted equipment and what happens to the coil. Installation costs.

Efficiency rules were separate and didn't move: in North Carolina, a split air conditioner under 45,000 Btu/h installed since 2023 has to meet 14.3 SEER2, and a split heat pump 14.3 SEER2 plus 7.5 HSPF2.