America’s refrigerant industry, backed by the AIM Act, is driving innovation and job growth while reducing costs and boosting US competitiveness in advanced cooling technologies.
The American air conditioning and refrigeration industry has long been a cornerstone of US manufacturing, technological leadership, and consumer service. Today, we are again at a crossroads. As the Trump administration envisions the future of the US policy landscape, it has a singular opportunity to decide whether the United States continues to lead in next-generation refrigerant technology—or cedes that future to foreign competitors.
The choice should be clear: we must move forward.
A Proven Technology with Economic Gains
For more than a decade, US companies have invested billions of dollars to design, test, and manufacture systems using next-generation refrigerants. These refrigerants are increasingly made in the United States. The required technologies are already proven and in use today. We are ready to compete—and win—on a global scale.
Some have suggested that continuing the current refrigerant transition will raise costs for Americans. Our industry’s experience with prior transitions tells a different story. In fact, the systems now entering the market are cheaper to operate, less expensive to maintain, and easier to service. They use less energy, require smaller refrigerant charges, and are engineered to reduce leaks. These improvements translate into lower electricity bills and longer equipment lifespans.
Independent economic modeling shows that a well-structured refrigerant transition—such as we have in progress now—will add $38.8 billion annually to US economic output and support 150,000 additional American jobs by the time it is complete. That’s not just a projection—real data show it’s already happening. According to an upcoming industry study, between 2020 and 2024, US Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVACR) manufacturing employment rose 10 percent, wages grew to $10.6 billion, and real shipments increased by $5 billion—to $65.3 billion.
When HFC-134a was introduced in the early 1990s, one commentator at the time reported it would cost $7.00 per poundwholesale, a significant markup from incumbent refrigerants. But in 2019, the year a bipartisan group of senators introduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM Act) to advance the US refrigerant transition, the market price for bulk R-134a was approximately $5.33 per pound—less than half the initial projected price when adjusted for inflation. This outcome demonstrates that refrigerant costs reliably decline relative to early expectations.
Stability and Certainty
Just as important, the transition will not require anyone to replace their existing systems prematurely; it only affects newly manufactured equipment. Homeowners, small businesses, and institutions can continue using their existing systems for years to come. Service refrigerants will remain available, and our companies are committed to supporting customers across the full life cycle of their equipment.
But uncertainty is the enemy of affordability. The HVACR sector has shown what’s possible with regulatory certainty. Since President Donald Trump signed the AIM Act into law in 2020, our industry has rebounded from a pandemic dip and, in particular, seen American job creation surge by 17.4 percent since the Great Recession. These gains reflect precisely the kind of pro-manufacturing momentum the AIM Act was designed to unleash.
Delays or reversals now would create cost inefficiencies and supply disruptions. Dual inventories, redundant manufacturing lines, fragmented training programs—these are real burdens. The path forward is not to pause the transition but to see it through in its current planned, predictable, and unified manner.
Keeping America Competitive
That’s what the AIM Act was designed to do. It provides American manufacturers clarity and certainty. It gives American consumers value. And it gives the United States a competitive advantage at a moment when global demand for advanced cooling technologies is soaring.
Backtracking would hand over our American innovation future to others. We know what that looks like. Until President Trump signed the AIM Act, foreign manufacturers had been exploiting regulatory gaps and dumping outdated systems into US markets. With the AIM Act, President Trump gave America a shield against that foreign-based threat.
American manufacturers and workers stand behind the refrigerant transition. So do the engineers who designed the next generation of systems and the technicians installing them today. We urge the administration to keep America on the path of innovation, efficiency, and domestic strength.
Let’s build our future here.
About the Authors: Kevin Fay and Stephen Yurek
Stephen Yurek is the president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Previously, he was the chief operating officer and general counsel. He serves on the US Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100 and on NAM’s Council of Manufacturing Association. He is also a board member of the North American Technician Excellence and HVACR Industry Alliance.
Kevin Fay is the executive director of the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy and Vice Chairman and CEO of Alcalde & Fay. He is an environmental policy advocate and a visible voice in the global effort to address climate change.
Image: FOTOGRIN/shutterstock
