In December 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced proposed rules governing R-22 equipment, but final rules weren’t issued until a year later. Beginning January 1, 2010, the manufacture and import of new R-22-charged air conditioners, heat pumps, and refrigeration equipment were prohibited, with limited exceptions. The rules also allowed R-22-compatible components for servicing existing systems, including “dry” condensing units shipped without refrigerant.

By 2010, the HCFC consumption cap had been reduced to 25% of the baseline, and production and importation of R-22 were restricted to servicing existing equipment. Beginning January 1, 2020, R-22 could no longer be produced or imported into the U.S. for conventional HVACR servicing. Previously produced inventories and reclaimed refrigerant remained available.

R-410A became the dominant replacement for R-22 in residential air-conditioning and heat-pump systems. But with the transition from R-410A now underway in favor of lower-GWP A2L refrigerants such as R-454B and R-32, its tenure as the industry’s dominant refrigerant has been considerably shorter.

Matt Marsiglio, general manager of Flame Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical in the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan, said the transition from R-22 proceeded much more smoothly than the more recent transition because of the longer offramp.

“The transition to A2L was definitely rougher,” Marsiglio said, because of “the lack of availability of 454B, the quick learning curve for both installation and inspection, as well as manufacturers’ shortages on some equipment.”

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However, almost 17 years after the R-22 equipment cutoff and more than two decades after the first significant HCFC consumption reduction, millions of systems still rely on the refrigerant.

An industry estimate cited by EPA in 2026 suggests that more than 15% of the installed base of residential air conditioners and heat pumps still uses R-22. Applying that percentage to Energy Information Administration (EIA) housing data suggests roughly 13 million U.S. homes could still be served by R-22 central air-conditioning or heat-pump equipment. That figure is an extrapolation, not an official count of operating R-22 systems.

Reclaimed R-22 continues to command a premium, adding to the expense of maintaining aging equipment.

Marsiglio said the number of R-22 units in Flame’s service area is dwindling.

“Every year we see less and less R-22 systems due to age and cost of refrigerant,” he said. “These systems are being replaced with systems using A2L refrigerants.”