Heat pump refrigerants: R290, R32, CO₂ and what comes after 2027

What a refrigerant is and why it matters

The refrigerant is the fluid that circulates in the heat pump: it evaporates outside at a low temperature, taking up heat, and condenses inside, giving it off. Three things matter when you buy:

GWP: how much it warms the planet

GWP (global warming potential) says how many times more than CO₂ one kilogram of gas released into the air warms the planet over 100 years. The F-gas Regulation uses the AR4 values of Annex I: R410A 2,088, R32 675, R290 3, CO₂ 1. A heat pump with 1.5 kg of R32 that leaks out completely equals about 1 t of CO₂.

Safety class: A1, A2L, A3

The letter gives the toxicity (A = non-toxic, B = toxic), the number the flammability: 1 non-flammable (R410A, CO₂), 2L mildly flammable (R32, the HFOs), 3 flammable (R290, propane). The class decides how much charge is allowed indoors and how far the unit must be kept from openings and ignition sources.

The charge

An 8 kW R290 air-to-water monobloc holds about 0.9 kg of refrigerant, all in the outdoor unit; a ground source unit holds 1.1–2.2 kg indoors. A monobloc keeps the refrigerant outside: only water enters the house.

Refrigerants in heat pumps, 2026

The refrigerants found in 2026 in the heat pumps and air conditioners sold in Romania, with their GWP, safety class and whether they fall under the proposed PFAS restriction. The last column links to the heat pump type in the calculator.

The F-gas calendar for heat pumps

Regulation (EU) 2024/573 bans placing new equipment on the market by the refrigerant’s GWP, per type, on the dates below (Annex IV, points 8 and 9). Every point carries the exception “except where required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation”; for monoblocs the limit then becomes 750. Fixed double-duct units count as splits. The text: EUR-Lex.

Servicing existing equipment

From 1 January 2026, air conditioners and heat pumps may no longer be topped up with virgin gas of GWP ≥ 2,500 (reclaimed or recycled gas is allowed until 2032). The GWP ≥ 750 servicing ban from 2032 applies to stationary refrigeration, not to heat pumps: a unit with R410A (2,088) or R32 can be topped up for its whole life. The quota makes it dearer, though.

The HFC quota

The amount of HFC that producers and importers may place on the market falls in steps (Annex VII, in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent; 2015 base: 176,700,479 t). The steps of 2027 and 2030 are the ones that make service gas dearer.

PFAS and TFA: the proposed restriction

HFO refrigerants and their blends (R1234yf, R1234ze, R454B, R454C, R455A) meet the GWP 150 limit but are PFAS under the definition of the proposed REACH restriction: they have at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. R32, propane, CO₂ and ammonia are not PFAS.

Where the restriction stands

The proposal dates from January 2023 (Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden). ECHA published the updated document on 20 August 2025: the restrictions on PFAS refrigerants stay, with options of a full ban after 18 months or use-specific derogations of 5 or 12 years; maintenance and refilling of existing equipment without alternatives get a time-unlimited derogation. The Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) adopted its opinion on 2 March 2026; the SEAC draft opinion was in consultation until 25 May 2026, and the final one is expected by the end of 2026. Then the Commission decides with the member states: entry into force expected in 2028, bans from about 2029–2030 at the earliest. ECHA registry status on 22 September 2026: “Opinion development”.

TFA

HFO-1234yf turns completely into trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the air within about two weeks; HFC-134a up to 20 %. In June 2026, RAC recommended classifying TFA as toxic to reproduction and as persistent, mobile and toxic. An industry-commissioned study recommends excluding refrigerants from the restriction, and in October 2026 seven German HVAC associations asked for derogations.

What it would change

HFO blends under 150 are legal under the F-gas Regulation, but the PFAS restriction may close that door from 2029–2030: they are a bridge, not a destination. Existing equipment could still be serviced.

R290 in practice

R290 is purified propane. It is flammable (A3), so the manufacturer and the installer follow siting rules; in return it has a GWP of 3, is not a PFAS and works well at high temperatures.

Is R290 refrigerant dangerous?

A monobloc keeps the propane outside, in a circuit sealed at the factory. The installer keeps a safety zone of about 1 m around the unit: no opening windows or doors, drains, vents or ignition sources below it, because propane is heavier than air. Indoor R290 units exist with 150 g charges; IEC 60335-2-40 edition 7 (2022) allows up to 988 g in a split with extra measures (tightness, airflow, valves).

Warmer water for radiators

R290 reaches a flow temperature of about 70 °C, against about 60 °C for R32; R290 heat pumps of 80 °C were shown at Chillventa in October 2026. That makes an air-to-water heat pump possible with old radiators too, even if the SPF stays lower than at 35 °C.

The price

R290 systems cost 10–15 % more today because of the safety components (Heat Pumps Watch), a gap expected to close with volume. The price of R290 gas rose 11 % from Q1 to Q2 2026, R32 9 %, R410A 2 % (refriexpo.net); against 2014, R410A costs 3.9–11.3 times more along the chain.

CO₂ (R744) for hot water

Where CO₂ makes sense

CO₂ has a GWP of 1, is non-flammable (A1) and works transcritically, above 100 bar. It works best when the water comes in cold and leaves very hot: heat pump water heaters and high-temperature or commercial heat pumps. For underfloor heating at 35 °C it is not the usual choice.

What it means if you buy now

Is R32 banned from 2027?

Not everywhere: from 2027, R32 may no longer go into new monobloc and air-to-water heat pumps up to 12 kW (GWP 675 ≥ 150). Wall splits may use R32 until 31 December 2028. Any new heat pump up to 12 kW bought from 2027 will carry a refrigerant with GWP under 150: in practice R290 in monoblocs and air-to-water units, R32 only until 2029 in splits, CO₂ for hot water.

R290 or R32 heat pump?

If you buy in 2026, both are legal. R290 has a GWP of 3, is not a PFAS, reaches higher temperatures and is the refrigerant from 2027 on; it costs 10–15 % more and needs the safety zone. An R32 or R410A unit bought today can be serviced for its whole life, but the gas gets dearer at every quota step (2027, 2030), and reclaimed gas becomes the normal supply.

HFO blends: a bridge

R454C and R455A (GWP ≈ 148) pass the 150 line but are PFAS; the REACH restriction may stop them from 2029–2030.

R290 safety: the 1 m zone

An R290 unit needs about 1 m clear around it, with no openings, drains or ignition sources below; the installer must respect it. Indoor R290 units exist with 150 g.

What 2027–2030 bring

R290 in wall splits too (IEC 60335-2-40 allows 988 g), flow temperatures of 70–80 °C that make radiators viable, CO₂ for hot water, and a 10–15 % price premium that disappears as volumes grow.

What comes after 2027

The review clauses

The Commission must report by 1 July 2027 on alternatives in mobile refrigeration and mobile air conditioning, watch the effect of the phase-down on heat pump deployment (the REPowerEU target) with the option of limited exemptions, and a wider review is foreseen around 2030. Annex IV can be amended, and Article 11(5) allows time-limited exemptions (Implementing Regulation 2024/2729 granted some until 31 December 2028).

Gas boilers

The EPBD, Directive (EU) 2024/1275, ended public subsidies for stand-alone fossil-fuel boilers on 1 January 2025 and aims to phase them out by 2040. The Ecodesign revision for space heaters (a 115 % seasonal efficiency floor that gas boilers cannot meet, floated for 2029) is still under discussion in 2026 and was softened in later drafts: it is not law.

The market

EHPA 2026 report: 2.9 million heat pumps sold in 2025 in 21 countries (+13 %), 29.3 million installed; Romania estimated at about 10,000 units a year. In new EU residential heat pump certificates, R290 rose from 3 % in 2021 to 38 % in 2024; R32 had 79 % in 2021, R410A 86 % in 2017.