How long will R22 be available?

How long R-22 will be available is limited because virgin production and import were banned in developed countries from 2020, and only reclaimed and recycled R-22 from recovered old systems can be used. R-22 availability depends on how much is recovered from retiring old air conditioners and how much demand remains from existing R-22 systems still in operation. As older R-22 systems are replaced with new systems using R-410A, R-32, or R-454B, less R-22 is recovered, so reclaimed supply will gradually decline over next 10 to 20 years. In the US, EPA allows continued use of reclaimed R-22 for servicing existing equipment indefinitely, but does not allow new production, so it will remain available in small quantities for perhaps another 10 to 15 years, but prices will continue to rise and it will become harder to find, especially during peak summer demand. In developing countries under Montreal Protocol, HCFC production must be phased out completely by 2030, after which only limited service tail may exist. For homeowners, this means R-22 may be available for servicing until roughly 2030 to 2035 at high cost, but long term it is more economical to replace R-22 system rather than continue searching for scarce refrigerant.