Daikin helped accelerate the adoption of R-32 in air conditioners by launching equipment that used it in Japan in 2012 and later promoting the technology through technical assistance and wider commercialization. The shift also reflected a broader transition: ozone-protection rules helped move the industry away from HCFC refrigerants, while concern about the climate impact of some HFCs helped drive interest in lower-GWP options. Governments—not Daikin—negotiated the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment, and R-32 is now widely used but is not the only refrigerant used worldwide.
Why air conditioners changed refrigerants
The move to R-32 was part of two distinct environmental transitions. The first focused on ozone depletion; the later one addressed the climate impact of greenhouse gases. Those goals are related, but they are not the same.
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From ozone-depleting HCFCs to HFCs
The Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987, established international controls on ozone-depleting substances. In air conditioning, the transition included a move away from HCFCs such as R-22 toward HFC refrigerants. Daikin describes HFCs such as R-410A as having zero ozone-depletion potential, but notes that some have high global-warming potential (GWP). Daikin’s account of the refrigerant transition explains this tension.
Why R-410A raised a climate concern
R-410A became a widely used HFC refrigerant, but its climate impact remained a concern. In its comparison, Daikin gives R-410A a 100-year GWP of 2,090 and R-32 a value of 675, citing the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. These figures use that assessment’s values; they should not be treated as interchangeable with figures calculated under other assessment vintages. Both R-410A and R-32 have zero ozone-depletion potential, according to Daikin.
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- Exceptional Efficiency: Provides 12,000 BTUs of cooling power (Min 4,400 BTU - Max 13,300 BTU) and 11,300 BTUs of heating capacity (Min 4,400 BTU - Max 16,400 BTU). Achieves a high 18 SEER2 energy efficiency rating, 9 HSPF2, 8.5 EER2, and 3.30 COP, ensuring efficient year-round climate control, all thanks to DC Inverter technology. Covers an area of up to 550 sq. ft.
- All-Season Comfort: Operating effectively within a broad temperature range, it provides efficient cooling from 50°F to 115°F and reliable heating from 5°F to 65°F, ensuring suitability for diverse climates and surroundings.Ideal solution for renovations, new constructions, sunrooms, basements, attics, garages, and spaces where traditional AC units or duct installations are impractical.
- Enhance Your Lifestyle: Daikin ENTRA wall-mounted units provide a superior lifestyle with high-efficiency cooling and heating, customizable air direction and flow, and advanced features such as Powerful Operation, ECO+ for energy efficiency, Blue Fin Protection, and a Titanium Apatite Photocatalytic Air Purifying Filter, ensuring an elevated indoor environment of comfort and air quality
- What’s Included: Entra 12,000 Btu Wall Mount Indoor Fan Coil, Smart DC Inverter Condenser Pre-charged with R-32Refrigerant, Remote Control, a 15 Ft 1/4 x 3/8 - Maxwell Refrigerant Line with Interconnecting Cables Installation Kit, and the Maxwell Wall Mounting Bracket.
What Daikin did to bring R-32 into air conditioning
It commercialized R-32 equipment
Daikin says it introduced air-conditioning and heat-pump technology using R-32 in Japan in November 2012, and describes itself as the first company to apply R-32 in air conditioners. That is Daikin’s account of its launch, not a claim that the company invented the refrigerant. The company says its expertise in both refrigerants and air conditioners helped it apply R-32 to the equipment. Daikin’s refrigerant overview and its R-32 technical explanation provide the company’s account and comparison.
Daikin says R-32 can allow a smaller refrigerant charge or higher energy efficiency, but those potential benefits depend on equipment design and application. They are not a guarantee that every R-32 system will outperform every system using another refrigerant.
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- Exceptional Efficiency: Provides 18,100 BTUs of cooling power (Min 6,900 BTU - Max 20,000 BTU) and 18,000 BTUs of heating capacity (Min 5,800 BTU - Max 22,500 BTU). Achieves a high 18 SEER2 energy efficiency rating, 9 HSPF2, 10.5 EER2, and 3.30 COP, ensuring efficient year-round climate control, all thanks to DC Inverter technology. Covers an area of up to 1,000 sq. ft.
- All-Season Comfort: Operating effectively within a broad temperature range, it provides efficient cooling from 50°F to 115°F and reliable heating from 5°F to 65°F, ensuring suitability for diverse climates and surroundings. Ideal solution for renovations, new constructions, sunrooms, basements, attics, garages, and spaces where traditional AC units or duct installations are impractical.
- Enhance Your Lifestyle: Daikin ENTRA wall-mounted units provide a superior lifestyle with high-efficiency cooling and heating, customizable air direction and flow, and advanced features such as Powerful Operation, ECO+ for energy efficiency, Blue Fin Protection, and a Titanium Apatite Photocatalytic Air Purifying Filter, ensuring an elevated indoor environment of comfort and air quality
- What’s Included: Entra 18,000 Btu Wall Mount Indoor Fan Coil, Smart DC Inverter Condenser Pre-charged with R-32 Refrigerant, Remote Control, a 15 Ft 1/4 x 1/2 - Maxwell Refrigerant Line with Interconnecting Cables Installation Kit, and the Maxwell Wall Mounting Bracket.
It promoted adoption beyond its own products
Daikin says it provided technical assistance to governments and international organizations and supported training and work with local manufacturers in emerging markets. That kind of assistance can help build the know-how needed to manufacture and handle equipment using a new refrigerant. It does not establish that every manufacturer or country adopted R-32.
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How the Kigali Amendment changed the policy context
Daikin’s product and technical work took place alongside a separate international policy process. In October 2016, parties to the Montreal Protocol adopted the Kigali Amendment, adding controls to phase down HFCs. The amendment entered into force on January 1, 2019, and lists HFC-32 with a 100-year GWP of 675. The UNEP Ozone Secretariat’s Kigali Amendment text sets out the treaty provisions.
Rank #3
- Exceptional Efficiency: Provides 9,000 BTUs of cooling power (Min 4,400 BTU - Max 10,200 BTU) and 9,400 BTUs of heating capacity (Min 4,400 BTU - Max 13,000 BTU). Achieves a high 18 SEER2 energy efficiency rating, 9 HSPF2, 11 EER2, and 3.6 COP, ensuring efficient year-round climate control, all thanks to DC Inverter technology. Covers an area of up to 400 sq. ft.
- All-Season Comfort: Operating effectively within a broad temperature range, it provides efficient cooling from 50°F to 115°F and reliable heating from 5°F to 65°F, ensuring suitability for diverse climates and surroundings.Ideal solution for renovations, new constructions, sunrooms, basements, attics, garages, and spaces where traditional AC units or duct installations are impractical.
- Enhance Your Lifestyle: Daikin ENTRA wall-mounted units provide a superior lifestyle with high-efficiency cooling and heating, customizable air direction and flow, and advanced features such as Powerful Operation, ECO+ for energy efficiency, Blue Fin Protection, and a Titanium Apatite Photocataly
- What’s Included: Entra 9,000 BTU Wall Mount Indoor Fan Coil, Smart DC Inverter Condenser Pre-charged with R-32Refrigerant, Remote Control, a 15 Ft 1/4 x 3/8 - Maxwell Refrigerant Line with Interconnecting Cables Installation Kit,1/2 Whip, 30A Disconnect and the Maxwell Wall Mounting Bracket.
Daikin did not create the amendment or set its obligations. The company says it welcomes the HFC phase-down and lists refrigerant conversion, reducing refrigerant charge, limiting leaks, and recovering and recycling refrigerant among its measures. Those actions reflect a company response within a transition governed by international agreements and national rules. Daikin’s explanation of its environmental approach to refrigerants describes its position.
How widely R-32 is used—and what the figure means
Daikin reports that worldwide sales of air conditioners using R-32 exceeded 66 million units by the end of March 2026. This is a company-reported sales figure, not an independently validated census of every R-32 air conditioner in use. It indicates substantial adoption, but not that R-32 has displaced all other refrigerants. Daikin’s current refrigerant overview also says it continues to consider suitable refrigerants for different equipment types.
Rank #4
- Exceptional Efficiency: Provides 22,400 BTUs of cooling power (Min 6,900 BTU - Max 24,200 BTU) and 23,000 BTUs of heating capacity (Min 5,800 BTU - Max 27,300 BTU). Achieves a high 18 SEER2 energy efficiency rating, 9 HSPF2, 10.5 EER2, and 3.30 COP, ensuring efficient year-round climate control, all thanks to DC Inverter technology. Covers an area of up to 1,500 sq. ft.
- All-Season Comfort: Operating effectively within a broad temperature range, it provides efficient cooling from 50°F to 115°F and reliable heating from 5°F to 65°F, ensuring suitability for diverse climates and surroundings. Ideal solution for renovations, new constructions, sunrooms, basements, attics, garages, and spaces where traditional AC units or duct installations are impractical.
- Enhance Your Lifestyle: Daikin ENTRA wall-mounted units provide a superior lifestyle with high-efficiency cooling and heating, customizable air direction and flow, and advanced features such as Powerful Operation, ECO+ for energy efficiency, Blue Fin Protection, and a Titanium Apatite Photocatalytic Air Purifying Filter, ensuring an elevated indoor environment of comfort and air quality
- What’s Included: Entra 24,000 Btu Wall Mount Indoor Fan Coil, Smart DC Inverter Condenser Pre-charged with R-32 Refrigerant, Remote Control, a 25 Ft 1/4 x 5/8 - Maxwell Refrigerant Line with Interconnecting Cables Installation Kit, and the Maxwell Wall Mounting Bracket.
Why R-32 is not automatically the right choice for every system
Refrigerant selection depends on the equipment and the market, not just a single GWP number. Daikin says it selects refrigerants by equipment type and continues to explore alternatives. Product availability and local rules vary by market, and the cited sources do not establish a like-for-like performance ranking of R-32 against all current alternatives.
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Safety and service also matter. R-32 requires appropriate handling, and refrigerant work is not a do-it-yourself task. The UNEP Ozone Secretariat’s Decision XXVIII/2 identifies technician training, servicing tools, testing, and recovery and recycling as relevant parts of refrigerant-transition work. Safe installation and servicing depend on qualified professionals and the rules that apply locally.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Exceptional Efficiency: Provides 22,400 BTUs of cooling power (Min 6,900 BTU - Max 24,200 BTU) and 23,000 BTUs of heating capacity (Min 5,800 BTU - Max 27,300 BTU). Achieves a high 18 SEER2 energy efficiency rating, 9 HSPF2, 10.5 EER2, and 3.30 COP, ensuring efficient year-round climate control, all thanks to DC Inverter technology. Covers an area of up to 1,500 sq. ft.
- All-Season Comfort: Operating effectively within a broad temperature range, it provides efficient cooling from 50°F to 115°F and reliable heating from 5°F to 65°F, ensuring suitability for diverse climates and surroundings. Ideal solution for renovations, new constructions, sunrooms, basements, attics, garages, and spaces where traditional AC units or duct installations are impractical.
- Enhance Your Lifestyle: Daikin ENTRA wall-mounted units provide a superior lifestyle with high-efficiency cooling and heating, customizable air direction and flow, and advanced features such as Powerful Operation, ECO+ for energy efficiency, Blue Fin Protection, and a Titanium Apatite Photocatalytic Air Purifying Filter, ensuring an elevated indoor environment of comfort and air quality
- What’s Included: Entra 24,000 Btu Wall Mount Indoor Fan Coil, Smart DC Inverter Condenser Pre-charged with R-32 Refrigerant, Remote Control, a 15 Ft 1/4 x 5/8 - Maxwell Refrigerant Line with Interconnecting Cables Installation Kit, Maxwell Wall Mounting Bracket, 30A Disconnect Switch, 1/2" Electric Whip
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