The 2025 HVAC refrigerant change refers to the upcoming phaseout of certain high-global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerants used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This change is being driven by the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty aimed at reducing the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases.
The phaseout of high-GWP refrigerants is important because these substances have a significant impact on climate change. HFCs are synthetic gases that were developed to replace ozone-depleting substances, but they have a much higher GWP than carbon dioxide. The Kigali Amendment aims to reduce the use of HFCs by 85% by 2036, which is expected to avoid the emission of up to 0.5C of global warming by the end of the century.
