California's REFRESH Pilot Will Pay Contractors for Recovered R-410A and R-22

The California Air Resources Board picked Hudson Technologies on December 9, 2025 as one of two reclaimers for REFRESH, the state's first refrigerant-recovery incentive program. Funding runs up to $5 million under the F-gas Reduction Incentive Program, with day-to-day administration by the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council. The pilot pays California HVAC contractors bonuses for recovered HFC and HCFC refrigerants.

For shops that have been eating the labor cost of proper recovery, that's a real change.

The program arrives ahead of California's 2030 ban on new R-410A sales, a deadline that already has distributors rethinking inventory and contractors rethinking how much reclaimed gas they can stockpile legally. REFRESH is, in effect, the state's answer to a simple question: what happens to the millions of pounds of R-410A and R-22 still circulating in the installed base when replacement equipment can't use it?

How the Payments Flow

Contractors recover refrigerant the way they always have, using certified machines and DOT-tagged cylinders. They then send it to Hudson Technologies or the second approved reclaimer for lab testing and reprocessing. NASRC verifies the chain of custody and releases a per-pound bonus on top of the standard reclaim payment. Exact rates will be published on the NASRC portal once the pilot opens enrollment, expected in Q2.

Two details technicians should note. First, R-22 is eligible, which matters because a lot of shops still pull R-22 off 15-plus-year-old residential splits and dispose of it grudgingly. Second, documentation matters more than it used to. If your recovery log looks like it was scribbled in a glove box, clean it up before applying.

Where This Fits in the Bigger Picture

REFRESH doesn't change federal EPA 608 obligations, it adds a financial layer on top of them. Contractors who already run proper recovery programs get paid more for the same work. Shops that have been venting or under-recovering get nothing, which is presumably the point.

For background on the refrigerant rules driving this, see our 2026 EPA refrigerant transition update and our piece on the R-410A ban rollback debate under the AIM Act.

Enrollment details should post to the NASRC site before summer. Contractors who want in should get their recovery equipment calibration and DOT cylinder certifications current now.