For home and commercial building owners, we encourage you to regularly maintain all your HVAC systems, especially in 2025. Due to reformations in the HVAC industry for environmental safety, contractors have been mandated to switch from R-410A to R454B and R-32. R454B is a refrigerant that has lower global warming potential (GWPs). This transition has exhausted the supply chain due to the high speed of demand for R454B. The mandatory packaging for this refrigerant is refrigerant cylinders. Companies like Honeywell have admitted to not being able to keep up with the “unprecedented demand” for R454B. And with a lack of cylinders, there is a lack of refrigerant to provide.
The bottom line is that there is a shortage of this refrigerant for HVAC contractors. As AC units are being designed to adjust to R454B, the shortage is increasing the cost of brand-new unit installations. Though much over-buying is occurring, HVAC companies are making sure to stretch their supply of refrigerant as far they can. The cylinder availability is predicted to improve this month, June 2025. However, it is only a prediction and not a determined fact of what will happen. With the upcoming peak season, we recommend keeping your AC running well instead of having to install an entirely new system, especially for high-demand states such as Texas.
With regular preventative maintenance (two annual check-ups) you can extend your AC unit to run well for 10 years or more depending upon its brand. Regular checkups reduce wear and tear and catch signs of blowouts early on. A greater supply of refrigerant cylinders may not cause immediate results of lower installation costs because the demand remains extremely high. Let your safety net be service agreements that offer biannual checkups. This sets you up for only needing minor repairs that may cost hundreds of dollars instead of installing a new system for thousands of dollars. At Air Integrity HVAC, we offer service agreements for both residential and commercial buildings. And with these agreements, our team can even set you up with priority scheduling, so call us today!
~Nevaonna Alfred