# variable refrigerant flow systems for use as residential or light commercial air-conditioning or heat pumps — US AIM Act sector-specific refrigerant GWP limits and compliance dates (40 CFR 84.54)

For variable refrigerant flow systems for use as residential or light commercial air-conditioning or heat pumps, restriction type is installation; maximum gwp is 700; effective date is January 1, 2026; conditions is may be installed prior to January 1, 2027, where all specified components of that system are manufactured or imported prior to January 1, 2026; exemptions is may be installed prior to January 1, 2028, when an approved building permit issued prior to October 5, 2023, specifies the use of a restricted regulated substance, recorded from its source on 2026-08-06.

- **Sector/subsector:** variable refrigerant flow systems for use as residential or light commercial air-conditioning or heat pumps _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Restriction type:** installation _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Maximum GWP:** 700 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Effective date:** January 1, 2026 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Conditions:** may be installed prior to January 1, 2027, where all specified components of that system are manufactured or imported prior to January 1, 2026 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Exemptions:** may be installed prior to January 1, 2028, when an approved building permit issued prior to October 5, 2023, specifies the use of a restricted regulated substance _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **CFR paragraph:** § 84.54(c)(2) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> ( 2 ) Effective January 1, 2026, variable refrigerant flow systems for use as residential or light commercial air-conditioning or heat pumps, using a regulated substance, or a blend containing a regulated substance, with a global warming potential of 700 or greater. Such new variable refrigerant flow systems using a regulated substance, or a blend containing a regulated substance, with a global warming potential of 700 or greater may be installed prior to January 1, 2027, where all specified components of that system are manufactured or imported prior to January 1, 2026. Such new variable refrigerant flow systems using a regulated substance, or a blend containing a regulated substance, with a global warming potential of 700 or greater may be installed prior to January 1, 2028, when an approved building permit issued prior to October 5, 2023, specifies the use of a restricted regulated substance, or blend containing a restricted regulated substance, in such system detailed in that building permit, and where all specified components of that system are manufactured or imported prior to January 1, 2026.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-84

Last verified: 2026-08-06. Review by: 2027-02-02.
Part of [US AIM Act sector-specific refrigerant GWP limits and compliance dates (40 CFR 84.54)](https://referencesource.org/aim-act-refrigerant-gwp-sector-limits/).