EPA Finalizes Refrigerant Foam Insulation Rules For Vending Machines

WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency has released its final rules to end the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and foam insulation in vending machines. The revisions will require HFC's replacement by the climate-friendlier alternatives now available.

The new rules, proposed by EPA a year ago and finalized on July 2, were issued under the Clean Air Act's "Significant New Alternatives Policy" program, or SNAP. In addition to vending machines, they affect HFCs used in motor vehicle air conditioning, retail food refrigeration and aerosols, and foam-blowing in other applications.

EPA has approved several alternative refrigerants for use in commercial refrigeration equipment and space-cooling chillers to replace HFCs. For vending machines, these include R-513A and R-450A.

The final rule has a compliance date of Jan. 1, 2019, for new vending machines and a range of Jan. 2017 to Jan. 2021 for foam insulation, depending on the product used.

The compliance date for retrofit vending machines is one year from the date of publication of the rule, according to National Automatic Merchandising Association senior vice-president of government affairs Eric Dell. "Our team is working to review the rule and its sections applicable to vending. NAMA will evaluate the impact of the rule on the industry and assess if further steps are needed to provide flexibility for the industry," he said.

He said NAMA officials recently met with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to relay concerns regarding the proposed rule before it was finalized. The vending association's major concern was the implementation and compliance dates for restricting refrigerants (Jan. 1, 2016) and foam-blowing agents (Jan. 1, 2017). NAMA had requested compliance dates be set for 2020 on both rules.

Click here to read the final rule.