Understanding EPA Refrigerant Regulation Updates and Their Impact on Facility Operations

Recent updates to the EPA’s refrigerant regulations mark a clear shift in how refrigerants are managed and enforced. Under the legacy Section 608 framework, federal leak repair requirements generally applied only to systems with 50 pounds or more of refrigerant. Beginning January 1, 2026, that threshold dropped to 15 pounds for many hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and high global warming potential substitute refrigerants. For many organizations, this means compliance now extends to equipment that was previously managed with little regulatory visibility, including smaller systems that were often tracked informally or not at all.

Alongside this change, the EPA has reintroduced clear leak rate thresholds based on equipment type. To maintain compliance, owners and operators must take action when annual leak rates reach:

• 10% for comfort cooling systems
• 20% for commercial refrigeration systems
• 30% for industrial process refrigeration systems

Each time refrigerant is added, owners and operators must calculate leak rates and document corrective action when thresholds are exceeded. Systems that lose 125% or more of their full refrigerant charge within a single calendar year must also be reported directly to the EPA.

For facilities leaders, this marks a meaningful shift in responsibility. Compliance is no longer just about whether a system technically falls under regulation. Lower thresholds bring more assets into scope, defined leak rate calculations mean leaks can no longer be treated as isolated maintenance issues, and expanded recordkeeping expectations require organizations to clearly demonstrate control over refrigerant usage, service activity, and documentation across their facilities.

When that level of control is missing, the operational impact becomes unavoidable. Untracked leaks drive higher energy consumption and accelerate equipment wear, while missed leak calculations and incomplete records make compliance harder to demonstrate as thresholds tighten. Limited visibility into technician certifications further increases risk whenever refrigerant work is performed. Left unaddressed, these gaps scale quickly as portfolios grow.

Why Prioritizing Refrigeration Management Now Matters

These changes arrive as refrigeration infrastructure continues to expand. Facilities teams are managing more cooling equipment across more locations, often supported by a mix of internal technicians and third-party service providers. Maintaining consistent oversight becomes harder without intentional processes in place.

This growth coincides with rising regulatory expectations, creating a balancing act for facilities leaders. Refrigerant management often competes with higher visibility priorities like asset uptime, energy efficiency, and safety. But when refrigerants are not actively managed, they directly impact all three.

The EPA estimates that strengthened leak management and detection requirements could prevent millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 2030. That impact depends on organizations having the right controls in place before regulatory deadlines or inspections force action.

Prioritizing refrigeration management now allows teams to stay ahead of regulatory change while strengthening operational control. Instead of reacting to new requirements or audit timelines, organizations can embed refrigerant oversight into everyday maintenance workflows and reduce surprises.

How Nuvolo Supports Facilities Leaders

Nuvolo’s Refrigeration Management product helps facilities leaders meet these requirements by connecting refrigerant tracking, leak history, technician certifications, and inventory directly to assets and work orders. This gives teams clearer visibility into refrigerant activity, supports accurate documentation, and makes it easier to identify issues before they escalate.

Instead of manual spreadsheets, Nuvolo automates the 15-pound threshold tracking and ensures that only certified technicians are assigned to sensitive refrigerant tasks. As EPA expectations continue to evolve and refrigeration systems become more complex, having reliable, connected refrigerant data becomes essential to managing both compliance and operations.