An Update on Refrigerant Regulations (2020-2022)

Not even refrigeration regulations are simple after 2020. Refrigerant regulations are changing, and getting new refrigeration equipment is complicated. This adds more challenges to stores, cold storage warehouses, pharmaceutical plants, and more.

Here is the brief summary of recent refrigerant regulations. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued SNAP Rules 20 and 21 in 2015 and 2016 to eliminate the use of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP), but those rules were vacated by the D.C. circuit court in 2017 and 2019. Since then, individual states have taken responsibility for issuing their own regulations. So far, most state regulations target the same high GWP refrigerants, but they have different effective dates and even define the effective dates differently. This creates a challenge for both buyers and manufacturers who need to know whether their new equipment will be compliant.

Zero Zone wants to help by providing the effective dates and a map so it is clear whether your state has any regulations. Check out our article about The State of Refrigerant Regulations. Please note that we recommend that our customers contact their state’s environmental regulatory department to clarify the nuances, but our research will be a valuable starting point.