Last reviewed: September 2026 · By the HVAC Brief Editorial Team · Our sourcing and editorial standards
The federal rules that change what HVAC equipment can be made, sold and installed, each with its date, its status and its citation. The registry tracks status, not just dates: the most widely repeated deadline in this field, the 1 January 2026 R-410A installation cutoff, was removed in 2026 and most published guidance has not caught up.
Every row was verified against the eCFR or the Federal Register on 4 Oct 2026.
This page replaces our earlier compliance calendar and our list of rules that took effect in 2026 with a single maintained registry. The difference between a list and a registry is status. Rules get proposed, finalised, amended, removed and delayed, and a list of dates that is not maintained becomes wrong without anyone noticing.
In force and scheduled
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Date | Status | Citation | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HFC allowances step down to 60% of baseline | Producers and importers of HFCs | 1 Jan 2024 | In force | AIM Act phasedown; 40 CFR part 84 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| No manufacture or import of new residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump systems using refrigerant with GWP of 700 or more | Equipment manufacturers and importers; affects R-410A | 1 Jan 2025 | In force | 40 CFR 84.54(a)(1) | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Equipment manufactured or imported before 1 Jan 2025 may continue to be installed, with no end date | Contractors and distributors holding R-410A inventory | Effective 27 Jul 2026 | In force (amended) | 40 CFR 84.54(c)(1); 91 FR 31284 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Variable refrigerant flow systems with GWP of 700 or more restricted | VRF manufacturers and importers | 1 Jan 2026 | In force | 40 CFR 84.54(c)(2) | 4 Oct 2026 |
| VRF systems whose components were all made or imported before 1 Jan 2026 may be installed | VRF installers | Before 1 Jan 2027 | In force, expiring | 40 CFR 84.54(c)(2) | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Refrigerant leak repair requirements for appliances with 15 lb or more of charge; residential and light commercial AC and heat pumps excluded | Commercial and industrial refrigeration and AC owners | 1 Jan 2026 | In force | 40 CFR 84.106, including (a)(3)(ii) | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Higher minimum efficiency for window and through-the-wall air conditioners, up 19% to 50% by class | Room air conditioner manufacturers | 26 May 2026 | In force | 10 CFR 430.32, room air conditioners | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Section 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit ends; was up to $2,000 for a qualifying heat pump | Homeowners; installation date controls | Property placed in service after 31 Dec 2025 | Expired | 26 U.S.C. 25C | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Non-weatherized and mobile home gas furnaces must reach 95% AFUE | Furnace manufacturers | Manufactured on or after 18 Dec 2028 | Scheduled | 10 CFR 430.32, residential furnaces | 4 Oct 2026 |
| HFC allowances halve from 60% to 30% of baseline | Producers and importers of HFCs | 1 Jan 2029 | Scheduled | AIM Act phasedown; 40 CFR part 84 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| New minimum Uniform Energy Factor table for residential storage water heaters, based on effective storage volume | Water heater manufacturers | Manufactured on or after 6 May 2029 | Scheduled | 10 CFR 430.32(d) | 4 Oct 2026 |
Commonly cited but no longer accurate
One deadline in particular continues to circulate after it stopped existing.
| Requirement as often cited | What changed | Federal Register |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2026 deadline to finish installing pre-2025 R-410A residential and light commercial equipment | Removed. EPA’s final rule allows pre-2025 inventory to be installed with no end date. | 90 FR 47999 (proposed 3 Oct 2025); finalised as 91 FR 31284, published 26 May 2026, effective 27 Jul 2026 |
EPA proposed reconsidering several Technology Transitions requirements on 3 October 2025. The final rule, published 26 May 2026 and effective 27 July 2026, addressed requirements across several refrigeration and air conditioning subsectors, including condensing units in residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps, and allows equipment manufactured or imported before 1 January 2025 to continue to be installed. Our explainer on whether R-410A can still be installed covers what that means on site.
Proposed and pending
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Date | Status | Citation | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exclusion of road and intermodal container transport refrigeration from certain Technology Transitions requirements | Transport refrigeration | Proposed 26 May 2026 | Proposed | 91 FR 30532 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Analysis of HFC allocation program data for 2022 to 2025 | HFC allowance holders | Published 28 Jul 2026 | Notice of data availability | 91 FR 47236 | 4 Oct 2026 |
How to read the registry
Equipment standards apply by manufacturing date, not installation date. A furnace made on 17 December 2028 to the 80% standard can be sold and installed after the 95% standard takes effect. Refrigerant restrictions on new equipment work the same way, with installation of older inventory governed separately. Tax credits, by contrast, turn on the date property is placed in service.
Detailed explainers for individual rows: the HFC phasedown schedule, the 95% AFUE furnace standard, the 2026 leak repair rules, VRF systems, window AC standards and the 25C credit. What the refrigerant transition looks like in certified products is in our A2L transition analysis.
Frequently asked questions
What HVAC rules change in 2027?
In the federal rules tracked here, the main 2027 date is 1 January 2027, the last day to install variable refrigerant flow systems whose components were made or imported before 1 January 2026. The larger scheduled changes fall in 2028 and 2029: the 95% AFUE furnace standard, the HFC allowance halving and the new water heater standard.
Can I still install R-410A equipment?
Yes, if every specified component was manufactured or imported before 1 January 2025. EPA’s final rule at 91 FR 31284, effective 27 July 2026, allows that inventory to continue to be installed and sets no end date. New R-410A residential systems cannot be manufactured or imported.
Is the January 2026 R-410A installation deadline still in force?
No. It was proposed for removal in October 2025 (90 FR 47999) and removed by the final rule published 26 May 2026 (91 FR 31284). Much published guidance still cites it.
When do furnaces have to be 95% AFUE?
Non-weatherized gas furnaces and mobile home gas furnaces manufactured on or after 18 December 2028 must reach 95% AFUE. The standard applies by manufacturing date, so compliant 80% furnaces made before then can still be sold and installed.
When does the HFC phasedown step down next?
On 1 January 2029, HFC production and consumption allowances fall from 60% to 30% of baseline, a 50% cut in one step.
Do the 2026 leak repair rules apply to my home system?
No. The leak repair requirements at 40 CFR 84.106 apply to appliances with 15 pounds or more of refrigerant, and paragraph (a)(3)(ii) explicitly excludes residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pump equipment.
Is there still a federal heat pump tax credit?
No. The Section 25C credit applies to property placed in service on or before 31 December 2025. Installation date, not purchase date, controls. State and utility incentives are separate.
How is this registry maintained?
Each row carries a citation and a last-verified date, checked against the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register. Rows change status when a rule is finalised, amended, removed or takes effect. Every row on this page was last verified on 4 Oct 2026.
Methodology and limitations
- Scope: federal requirements that affect the manufacture, sale or installation of residential and light commercial HVAC and water heating equipment, plus the federal tax credit most relevant to equipment choice. State requirements are not included.
- Verification: each row was checked on 4 Oct 2026 against the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (current text) or the Federal Register API, or against a primary-sourced explainer on this site that cites the regulation directly.
- The VRF installation pathway is stated as current 40 CFR 84.54(c)(2) gives it: installation before 1 January 2027 where all specified components were made or imported before 1 January 2026. No other VRF pathway appears in the current text.
- Where a paragraph letter could not be confirmed against current text, the citation names the section without one rather than guess.
- Status values: In force (currently applies), Scheduled (adopted, future date), Proposed (not adopted), Expired, and Superseded (removed or replaced).
- State rules are excluded deliberately. Several states impose stricter refrigerant rules than federal law, New York’s 6 NYCRR Part 494 among them. Secondary sources conflict on their dates, so readers should confirm state requirements with the state directly.
- This registry is not legal advice. Compliance questions should be confirmed against the regulation text and, where needed, with counsel.
- This page replaces the earlier compliance calendar, whose address redirects here.
Sources
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR 84.54 and 40 CFR 84.106.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR 430.32, energy conservation standards.
- US Environmental Protection Agency, 91 FR 31284, 26 May 2026; proposed at 90 FR 47999, 3 Oct 2025.
- Federal Register, 91 FR 30532 (26 May 2026) and 91 FR 47236 (28 Jul 2026).
The HVAC Brief is an independent trade publication. We do not sell equipment, take manufacturer advertising, or accept payment for placement in our research. Corrections welcome.
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