R404A was for years the most widely used refrigerant in stationary refrigeration — the standard choice for low-temperature commercial systems such as supermarket packs. With a global warming potential of 3,922, it was also among the first to be legislated out of new equipment.
The ban on R404A in new equipment
Since 1 January 2020, HFCs with a GWP above 2,500 have been banned in new commercial refrigeration equipment. No air conditioning, refrigerator or freezer manufacturer has been able to place equipment on the market using R404A since that date.
The pressure arrived well before the deadline. One of the largest refrigerant manufacturers announced it would stop selling high-GWP refrigerants such as R404A in Europe from 2018, and the price of R404A rose sharply in the years leading up to the ban.
The three measures that closed R404A down
The revised F gas regulations, in force since 1 January 2015, brought three separate pressures to bear on refrigerant choice:
- A cap and phase-down of the supply of HFCs, through a quota system based on CO₂ equivalent.
- Bans on the sale of new equipment using higher-GWP F gases.
- Service and maintenance bans, prohibiting the use of virgin HFCs with a GWP of 2,500 or above in refrigeration equipment with a charge greater than 40 tonnes CO₂ equivalent from 2020.
Every HFC refrigerant is subject to the supply phase-down. High-GWP gases were hit hardest, because they consume a disproportionate share of the available quota — and R404A was caught by all three measures at once.
What to retrofit with
The right replacement depends on the equipment and what it is being asked to do, so there is no single answer. These are the gases in common use for retrofitting existing R404A plant. Every GWP below is on the IPCC Fourth Assessment basis, which is the one GB F-Gas compliance uses — figures quoted on the newer AR5 basis will differ, so be careful not to mix the two when working out a system's CO₂e.
- R449A — GWP 1,397. A blend of R32, R125, R134a and the HFO R1234yf, developed as a direct lower-GWP alternative to R404A. A1 non-flammable, runs on POE oil.
- R448A — GWP 1,387. Five components: R32, R125, R134a and the HFOs R1234yf and R1234ze. The closest sibling to R449A, with the same temperature glide, and likewise A1 and POE.
- R452A — GWP 2,140. R32, R125 and R1234yf. Chiefly a refrigerated transport gas, chosen where matching R404A's capacity, efficiency and discharge temperature matters more than reaching the lowest available GWP.
- R407A — GWP 2,107. R32, R125 and R134a in a 20/40/40 blend, and one of the earliest alternatives. Still specified on cost, though the R448A/R449A pair have largely displaced it.
R448A and R449A are the usual choice for supermarket packs, cold stores and display cases. Most R404A systems already run POE oil, which is what makes them near-drop-in — but a retrofit is not simply a gas swap. Both blends carry noticeably more temperature glide than R404A, so expansion valves need setting up again, and compressor approval, safety controls, component sizing, discharge temperature and the charge itself all have to be checked against the new gas before the system goes back on.
Treat any of these as an interim step rather than a final answer. All four sit well above the GWP that long-term replacements are heading towards, so plant being replaced outright rather than retrofitted is generally going to CO₂ or hydrocarbons instead.
If you are running plant that still holds R404A, the question is usually whether to retrofit or replace, and that is a decision worth taking on the numbers rather than in a hurry after a breakdown. We can advise on both new equipment and existing systems.
R22 was phased out first
R22 was withdrawn earlier still, with use in servicing prohibited from 1 January 2015.
If you have equipment still running on R22, we can provide consultancy, installation and replacement to make the transition to compliant refrigeration safe, economic and efficient. The careful and safe recovery of the R22 and its integral chemicals is central to an effective exchange.
Hawkes Refrigeration Engineers is a REFCOM Elite registered contractor, and a registered installation and maintenance company for working safely with hydrocarbon refrigerant gases.
