The entry into force of three industry standards on September 1, 2026 became a historic milestone for China’s HVAC industry, which produces more than 85% of the world’s room air conditioners. The adoption of the new regulations removed legal and technical barriers for propane (R290)—an environmentally friendly natural refrigerant with an ultra-low global warming potential.
Previously, large-scale deployment of R290 was constrained by strict safety limits, charge-volume restrictions, and installation rules due to its flammability (A3 class). The new industry standards changed the situation in three key areas:
- Revision of charge limits: the updated rules made it possible to safely increase the allowable refrigerant mass in the circuit of residential split systems, raising their maximum cooling capacity to market standards without violating safety requirements.
- Optimization of installation and servicing requirements: this made it possible to standardize installation procedures and the training of service engineers, reducing risks when operating equipment using flammable gases.
- Alignment with energy-efficiency requirements: the new rules were aligned with energy-efficiency requirements and the updated national standard GB 21455, which introduces consideration of global warming potential and gives preference to refrigerant R290 when assigning energy-efficiency classes.
This decision is directly linked to China’s implementation of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol as part of a large-scale “green” transition.
- As of January 1, 2026, China has already completely stopped producing household refrigerators using freons.
- The next step will be restrictions for air conditioners: as of January 1, 2029, the country will introduce a full ban on producing for the domestic market residential split systems with a GWP above 750, which will completely phase out the popular R410A and place R32 under strict quotas.
Thanks to the new standards, leading Chinese industrial giants have received ✅ the green light for a mass conversion of production lines to R290, supplying the global HVAC equipment market with environmentally friendly solutions of the future.