How the Clean Air Act is affecting HVAC system regulations

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The new year brings new regulations with rules affecting heating and air conditioning systems. As of Jan. 1, EPA guidelines require all new HVAC systems to use certain refrigerants.

The goal is lowering the potential impact on global warming. Jason Parton, a local HVAC contractor, joined KXAN's Avery Travis to break down the change and how it could impact the community. Parton is the general manager of Strand Brothers Service Experts.

Read a full transcription of the interview below or watch in the video player above. Some responses have been edited for clarity.

Avery Travis: Okay, so for people who are listening to this and thinking, what does this mean for me, explain it for people and who does it affect?

Jason Parton: Absolutely. So, this actually does affect every homeowner -- whether you're going to eventually do a repair on your existing heating and cooling system or potentially get a new whole system installed in your house. So, what you were talking about is the Clean Air Act that went into effect this year, and it deals with refrigerants that we see here on the table. All refrigerants are measured and give a rating for GWP. That's that global warming potential. So the lower the number, the better, right? So, if you look at 410A, right, this is the one that was most commonly used prior to this. That has a global warming potential of over 2,000 or 2,088 to be exact. So compare that to 454B. That's the one here at Strand Brothers and Service Experts, that we're going to utilize the majority of the time throughout the year, that has a global warming potential of just 466 so you can see it's a dramatic difference. So, when people are going to put a new system in their house, they can get all the benefits and the better efficiencies while they're still feeling much better about the impact that it has on the environment around them.

Travis: So, if people are working with Strand Brothers or other contractors in the area, we're assuming they're going to be making this switch, making sure people are within the guidelines. But we know a lot of people do try to DIY things, or maybe they're at Home Depot looking at these products. What do you recommend? Why is this change so important other than just the guidelines have changed?

Parton: Well, to work with the refrigerant in general, you know, takes a lot of schooling and specific knowledge, you know. So, I had mentioned it kind of affects everybody. This handles repairs as well. So, it's important to know that you cannot mix the two types of refrigerant in one system on your house. The other thing to keep in mind is part of that Clean Air Act means that they are not going to be producing near as much of this and eventually phasing it out. So what does that mean? That means the cost is going to go way up when they have that diminished production. So it's important to stay ahead of it and do what's right for you and your family to get the correct system installed sooner rather than later.

Travis: So when we're talking about environmentally friendly changes to your home or other smart technology, I know that's a big thing as we head into 2025, what else should homeowners keep their eyes on?

Parton: Well, I would say the most simple thing that people are really embracing very well now are things like the smart thermostats. These are WiFi enabled. You can use your voice assistant at home or even smartphone apps to really change the temperature humidity from anywhere in the world. And what's kind of nice is that it learns your preferences over time, so it makes it really easy to optimize that energy usage in your home.

Travis: For people who may see that or hear that and think, gosh, the cost investment might be a barrier to entry there. What would you say are some of the cost savings of making the switch to a smart thermostat?

Parton: Well, not only can it optimize your heating and cooling system, but it's more of a smart home hub nowadays, because it goes beyond just heating and cooling systems. It can help utilize your solar panels correctly. It can even tag in your EV charger, even water products like this, water sensors or leak detectors to make sure your home is safe.

Travis: Especially during this season when we're all worried about our pipes and things like that when temperatures drop. Okay, speaking of homes of the future, you all recently gave a local man a huge prize to help him upgrade his home. Tell us about that.

Parton: Yeah, so this was actually a nationwide contest through service experts, and it was the home of the future giveaway. It's $134,000 makeover to the home, and it was one of our own Austinites that got the grand prize. So, we installed a lot of cutting edge, cutting edge technology in his home -- not only the new refrigerant for a new system for his house, but things like indoor air quality products so you're more comfortable in the home. Water conditioners, water softener tankless water heaters, and even solar panels that we're installing later on the month.