Policy & Regulation

  • China’s 1 Jul ODS regulatory cluster entered its first enforcement week on schedule. Under MEE Announcement 2025 No. 28, production of on-site polyurethane spray foam using HCFC-141b is now prohibited—directly affecting cold-room construction, logistics hubs and industrial insulation projects covered by standards including T/CECS 498-2024. On the same date, MEE Announcement 2025 No. 31 bans HCFC blowing agents in extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam, and a companion notice prohibits HCFC or HCFC-containing solvent blends in electronics, instruments, machinery and medical-device cleaning under GB 38508-2020. Local ecology departments are stepping up inspections; violations under the ODS Regulation can trigger fines of ¥200,000–¥500,000 or higher. The HFC-245fa cross-category transfer cap raised to 50% in the week-24 MEE 2027 quota draft remains explicitly linked to this foam transition as contractors shift to HFO and hydrocarbon alternatives.
  • On 22 Jun the US Supreme Court denied certiorari in RMS of Georgia v. EPA, leaving intact the DC Circuit ruling that upholds EPA’s authority to allocate HFC production and consumption allowances under the AIM Act cap-and-trade programme. HARDI and PHCC had filed amicus briefs supporting EPA; the denial removes a high-profile nondelegation challenge to the statutory phasedown schedule. Days later, on 25–26 Jun, HARDI, ACCA and PHCC filed a separate petition for judicial review of the Technology Transitions Reconsideration Final Rule in the DC Circuit—joined on 26 Jun by AHRI and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy—targeting the rule’s temporary GWP relaxation for supermarket, retail food and cold-storage commercial refrigeration to 1,400 from 2027 through 2032 while supporting the residential R-410A installation deadline removal.
  • The EPA Technology Transitions reconsideration final rule takes effect 27 Jul 2026—22 days from this briefing. Contractors may continue installing pre-2025 R-410A residential and light-commercial inventory until depleted, but HARDI estimates the commercial refrigeration GWP extensions could add roughly $13 billion in refrigerant costs industry-wide by increasing demand for HFCs whose AIM Act supply is still shrinking. The juxtaposition—AIM quota law affirmed by the Supreme Court vs end-use deadline rollbacks challenged in court—creates a split compliance landscape for multinational OEMs already navigating the EU F-Gas 2027 GWP<150 placement ban highlighted at Intersolar Europe (week 26).

Market & Industry

  • ATMOsphere Network South Korea 2026 convened 25 Jun in Seoul with Arneg Korea as exclusive sponsor, drawing 130+ stakeholders under the theme of natural-refrigerant transition in the carbon-neutral era. CEO SungKyu Lee reported approximately 50 transcritical CO₂ (R744) refrigeration installations operating in Korea and overseas, with another 200 sites scheduled from August 2026. A headline case study presented Emart’s first supermarket CO₂ rack: compared with a neighbouring Hanaro Mart on fixed-speed R404A (120 pyeong), cumulative electricity bills fell 38.4% over 2024–2025—exceeding the 35% design target and reaching 48.5% during the August 2025 heatwave. National Assembly Member Lee Hak-Young delivered a video message on Korea’s HFC phase-down roadmap, positioning CO₂ as a practical response to tightening refrigerant rules and rising power tariffs.
  • European R290 momentum continues after Intersolar Europe (week 26). LG Electronics is expanding its Therma V R290 Monobloc air-to-water heat pump across residential markets—7–14 kW capacity, −28°C ambient heating, 75°C DHW, outdoor-only installation without indoor units. Systemair launched the Geniox HP DFN packaged air-handling unit with integrated R290 heat pump on 1 Jul, initially in Denmark and the UK with broader European rollout planned for later summer. Together with EcoFlow PowerHeat, GoodWe GoodHeat and Differ Power D1 showcased in Munich, the segment is converging on low-GWP monobloc and integrated platforms ahead of the EU’s 1 Jan 2027 GWP<150 placement ban for systems ≤12 kW.

Standards & Compliance

  • FAS 2026/550 projector energy labels entered their first enforcement week on 1 Jul 2026, aligned with mandatory national standard GB 32028-2025 (replacing GB 32028-2015). Products manufactured or imported before 1 Jul may continue using legacy labels until 1 Jul 2028 under the two-year stock transition. Firms must maintain dual catalogues—FAS 2025/45 for heat-pump and chiller units vs 2026/550 for appliances, lighting and now projectors—with SKU-level traceability in e-commerce and tender documentation. The next FAS 2026/550 milestone is 1 Aug 2026 for household solar water heating systems; see this site’s heat-pump standards quick reference for the full domestic label schedule.
  • EU F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 placement deadlines are now roughly six months away: from 1 Jan 2027, monoblock heat pumps and air-conditioning units ≤12 kW placed on the EU market must use refrigerants with GWP below 150. Member states must adapt F-gas handler certification to EU-standardised training by 11 Mar 2027. Systemair’s Geniox HP DFN and LG’s Therma V R290 carry ErP-aligned efficiency claims and PFAS-free REACH compliance—illustrating how manufacturers are bundling low-GWP refrigerant choice with energy-performance documentation required for both EU and export markets.

Technology & Demonstrations

  • Systemair’s Geniox HP DFN—launched 1 Jul 2026—is a packaged air-handling unit with an integrated reversible R290 heat pump, operating from −22 to 36°C ambient. The largest unit carries a 6.5 kg propane charge; heating mode delivers COPs up to 16 and cooling EERs up to 9, with up to 90% heat recovery efficiency via the heat pump and rotary heat exchanger. Systemair states TEWI—including direct and indirect CO₂e—falls 30% versus an equivalent R410A-integrated AHU, and the design is PFAS-free under REACH. Already available in Denmark and the U.K., the range expands across Europe later this summer—extending R290 from residential monoblocs (week 26) into commercial HVAC packaged solutions.
  • LG Therma V R290 Monobloc offers 7–14 kW heating capacity in a single outdoor unit for space heating and DHW, with 75°C supply and −28°C ambient operation. The monobloc architecture eliminates indoor refrigerant piping—simplifying installation for retrofits and multi-unit residential projects. Positioned alongside EcoFlow PowerHeat (9/20 kW, ErP A+++) and GoodWe GoodHeat from Intersolar, Therma V targets the same European prosumer segment where bundled electrification—not standalone COP—drives purchasing decisions ahead of the 2027 EU placement ban.

Events Calendar

  • Completed this week: China 1 Jul ODS cluster (HCFC-141b spray, XPS foam, HCFC solvents, FAS 550 projectors); Supreme Court cert denial in RMS of Georgia v. EPA (22 Jun); ATMOsphere Network South Korea (25 Jun); HARDI/ACCA/PHCC and AHRI Technology Transitions suits filed (25–26 Jun); Systemair Geniox HP DFN launch (1 Jul).
  • Ahead: EPA Technology Transitions final rule effective 27 Jul 2026; FAS 2026/550 household solar water heating labels from 1 Aug 2026; MEE 2027 ODS/HFC quota draft (week 24) in public comment—2027 quota and initial transfer filings due 31 Oct 2026; EU F-Gas GWP<150 placement ban 1 Jan 2027; F-gas handler certification harmonisation 11 Mar 2027; Chillventa 2026 Nuremberg 13–15 Oct 2026.