Goodberlet Home Services said it is reaffirming its approach of basing heating and cooling recommendations on the condition of a system rather than a regulatory deadline, following a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule change that took effect July 27, 2026. The company said the update changes how homeowners across its Illinois and Indiana service areas should think about near-term replacement decisions.
The EPA finalized the rule change on May 26, 2026, removing a prior installation deadline for residential air conditioning and heat pump systems using R-410A refrigerant manufactured before January 1, 2025. Under the agency's original Technology Transitions Rule, contractors faced a hard cutoff of January 1, 2026 for installing that pre-2025 equipment, since R-410A carries a global warming potential far above the EPA's new 700 threshold. Under the revised rule, qualifying pre-2025 inventory can now be installed until it is exhausted rather than by a fixed calendar date, and servicing older R-410A systems already in homes remains legal and unaffected by the change. Commercial VRF and VRV systems using R-410A remain subject to a separate installation deadline of January 1, 2027, which was not affected by this rule change.
The rule change does not reverse the broader shift toward lower global warming potential refrigerants such as R-454B and R-32, which are now standard in newly manufactured equipment and require updated leak-detection and safety protocols during installation. Industry groups have noted that continued installation demand for R-410A, combined with a shrinking refrigerant supply, is expected to put upward pressure on servicing costs over time. Contractors and distributors are also required to check state-level rules before relying on the federal change, since some states, including New York, have kept the original January 1, 2026 installation deadline in place despite the federal rollback. Illinois and Indiana homeowners are not currently subject to a separate state-level deadline, though that could change as state agencies weigh in over the coming months.
Goodberlet Home Services said the rule change gives homeowners a wider window to weigh a repair against a full system replacement without the pressure of a looming installation cutoff, and that its position on the matter has not changed as a result of the update. The company, which has served Illinois and Indiana households and commercial accounts since the early 1980s, said its technicians remain trained and certified to service both legacy R-410A equipment and newer A2L systems as manufacturers complete the broader transition. The company added that it will continue advising customers on the cost and timing tradeoffs between repair, replacement, and refrigerant type as the shift toward low-GWP refrigerants continues over the next several years.
"Homeowners do not need to rush a decision because of this rule change. Our job is to walk them through what actually makes sense for their system and their budget, not push a replacement because of a deadline that no longer applies," said Rick Jensen of Goodberlet Home Services.
Goodberlet Home Services is a family-owned home services company that has served the Kankakee, Illinois region since 1982, later expanding into the greater Chicagoland area and Muncie, Indiana. The company provides heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical services to residential and commercial customers, holds Lennox Premier Dealer status, and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Goodberlet Home Services offers 24-hour emergency repair availability and serves more than 15,000 customers annually across its Illinois and Indiana locations.
More information is available at goodberletheating.com.
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For more information about Goodberlet Home Services, contact the company here:
Goodberlet Home Services
Rick Jensen
815-937-0189
info@goodberletheating.com
255 E Brookmont Blvd, Kankakee, IL 60901
