Pentagon updates flammable-refrigerant rules for systems in childcare facilities
Published Date: 6/16/2025
Notice
Summary
The Department of Defense is updating rules for Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems used in buildings like youth and child care centers. These changes focus on safety, especially when using flammable refrigerants, and require compliance with new standards. If you’re involved in DoD facility projects, get ready to follow these updates and submit any comments by August 15, 2025.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Limits on Flammable Refrigerants in Buildings
The DoD requires compliance with ASHRAE Standard 15 and limits use of ASHRAE Standard 34 flammability-classified refrigerants of "2L and higher" to non-occupied machine or mechanical rooms or the building exterior. Such refrigerants are also allowed in non-occupied rooms (for example, telecommunications rooms) only if those rooms have exterior-only access, perimeter walls continuous from exterior wall to exterior wall (or to an adjacent interior partition), perimeter walls continuous from finished floor to roof deck or floor deck above, perimeter walls continuous through all concealed spaces (including above ceilings), and no openings or transfer paths to adjacent spaces.
Childcare Facilities: No Refrigerant in Occupied Spaces
For Youth Centers, Child Development Centers, and Continuous Child Care Facilities, the DoD requires that use of flammable and toxic refrigerants follow ASHRAE Standard 15 and forbids routing refrigerant piping in, through, or above any occupied space or associated air return plenum. Refrigeration equipment must not be located in or above occupied spaces or have refrigerant coils ducted to occupied spaces; refrigeration systems may be placed only in utility or other unoccupied spaces (for example: telecom, electrical, cold storage, or mechanical rooms) in compliance with ASHRAE Standard 15 and the stated restrictions.
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