The import and manufacture of small air conditioning equipment with high global warming potential refrigerant (GWP over 750) has been banned as of 1 July 2024.
Ban on high-GWP small AC equipment
The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has welcomed the ban, which applies to air conditioning equipment designed to be used to cool or heat, or both, a stationary space primarily for human comfort if the equipment is:
- an outdoor unit for a single-head split system air conditioning system
- a portable air conditioner
- a window/wall air conditioner (a single unit designed to be fixed to a window or wall)
and the equipment:
- has a standard refrigerant charge of 2.6 kilogram or less, and
- contains, or is designed to operate with, an HFC refrigerant that has a global warming potential (GWP) of more than 750.
ARC chief executive officer Glenn Evans said existing equipment in Australia would not be affected, and the ban would not apply to:
- outdoor units for ducted systems
- indoor units of split systems when imported separately from the outdoor unit
- equipment for mobile applications such as motor vehicles, caravans, aircraft and boats
- systems for use in electrical enclosures and computer rooms
- air-to-water equipment, such as units for hydronic home heating systems, swimming pool heat pumps
- humidifiers or dehumidifiers.
Importers will be able to apply for an exemption to the ban in certain circumstances. Equipment imported or manufactured in Australia before 1 July 2024 may be sold after that date.
