Knowledge/Refrigerants/Which refrigerant GWP figures count in Australia
Which refrigerant GWP figures count in Australia
Australian law sets each refrigerant's GWP (global warming potential) using the 2007 hundred-year figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, known as AR4. They're written into the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act. The Montreal Protocol uses the same figures. New Zealand uses the newer AR5.
- Basis
- IPCC AR4, 2007hundred-year values
- The numbers that count
- Schedule 1of the 1989 Act
- New Zealand
- AR5different numbers entirely
- R32 and R410A
- 675 and 2,088on the AR4 basis
Why does Australia still use the 2007 figures?
The federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) explains it in its own words. The GWP numbers under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (the OPSGGM Act) are the hundred-year figures from the IPCC's fourth assessment report, 2007. The Montreal Protocol uses the same ones.
As for why they haven't been updated, the department says the Act and the Montreal Protocol will continue to use AR4 values, to maintain consistency with HFC phase-down baseline calculations. HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) are the gases being phased down. Change the basis and you move the starting point the whole phase-down is measured from.
The numbers that count in law are the ones in Schedule 1 of the OPSGGM Act 1989. Not the newest science, the numbers in that schedule.
What are the GWP figures for the common refrigerants?
| Refrigerant | What's in it | GWP (AR4) | Safety class |
|---|---|---|---|
| R32 | Pure HFC-32, difluoromethane | 675 | A2L |
| R410A | HFC-32 50% / HFC-125 50% | 2,088 | A1 |
| R454B | HFC-32 68.9% / HFO-1234yf 31.1% | 465 | A2L (see note) |
| R22 | Pure HCFC-22, ozone depleting potential (ODP) 0.055 | 1,810 | A1 |
| R134a | Pure HFC-134a | 1,430 | A1 |
| R290 | Pure propane, not scheduled | Under 5 | A3 |
| R744 | Pure CO2, not scheduled | 1 by definition | A1 |
| R407C | HFC-32 23% / 125 25% / 134a 52% | 1,774 | A1 |
| R404A | HFC-125 44% / 134a 4% / 143a 52% | 3,922 | A1 |
Most
common
error
An AR5 number next to an Australian claim is the wrong number
Newer assessment reports give different GWP figures for the same refrigerant. Put an AR5 or AR6 figure next to an Australian compliance statement, like Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) eligibility or the import ban, and it's the wrong number.
New Zealand really does use AR5, under its own regulations. So a trans-Tasman table has to say which basis each column is on, or it's misleading on one side of the Tasman or the other.
Say which basis a figure is on, every time you quote it. It's four words, almost nobody bothers, and it shows you know what you're talking about.
Why name the document and not just the link?
Because the department's pages are moving. The National Environmental Protection Agency was set up on 1 July 2026, and the notices on DCCEEW pages say relevant content will move to the new National EPA website.
So quote the figures and name the document rather than relying on a link surviving. That's why this page names the Act and the schedule rather than just pointing at a web address.
Working out what the transition means for you?
There's a lot of noise about what's banned and when, and most of it is either early or wrong. What matters is what you buy and stock this year.
Kevin will give you the straight version.
Who this is for: small and medium HVAC contractors in Victoria. If you're a homeowner after a rebate or a repair, you need a licensed contractor, not us, and yours can point you the right way.
Related
- A1, A2L, A2 and A3: what the classes actually meanHow each safety class is tested, how flammable each one is, and why propane charges are capped in grams while R32 can run to kilos.
- Why topping up a leaking system isn't legal hereFind a leak and all the refrigerant has to come out before the repair. That's the code for every refrigerant, blend or pure. No exceptions.
- Prohibited charging, and why you can't go up in GWPSince January 2020 you can't charge equipment with a gas of higher GWP than the one it was designed for. It applies whether or not you hold a permit.
- Refrigerant recovery, and the tools A2L won't shareEvery recovery rule in one place, the equipment standards behind them, and why your A1 recovery kit generally isn't fit for A2L gas.
Review date: 1 April 2027. Figures in this area change without much notice and this page carries some that will go stale. Every number above is dated and sourced so you can check it yourself. If you find something out of date here, tell us and we will fix it.