G&D Chillers, an Ingersoll Rand company based in Junction City, Oregon, launched its SUMMIT AIR Series on June 22, a new line of US-built, air-cooled commercial chillers running on R-454B refrigerant. The 11-model lineup spans 20 to 200 tons and is aimed at commercial HVAC projects that need low-GWP equipment without the lead times typically associated with major incumbent manufacturers.
Inside the SUMMIT AIR Series Lineup
Every model in the SUMMIT AIR Series uses tandem scroll compressors, variable-speed EC condenser fans, and native BACnet and Modbus building automation system integration, letting the chillers plug directly into existing commercial control systems without third-party gateways. G&D Chillers designed the units with open, non-proprietary parts, which the company says supports long-term serviceability alongside 24/7/365 direct engineering access for contractors and building operators working on the equipment after installation, rather than routing every service question through a distant factory support line. The 11 standard models are designed to cover the bulk of light and mid-size commercial cooling loads without requiring a custom engineering cycle for each project.
Built to Meet ASHRAE 90.1-2025 and the AIM Act
The SUMMIT AIR Series runs on R-454B, an A2L-compliant refrigerant with a global warming potential below the EPA AIM Act's 700 GWP threshold for new commercial HVAC equipment, which took effect in January and applies broadly across new commercial cooling equipment sold in the United States. All models are also designed to meet ASHRAE 90.1-2025 efficiency requirements, positioning the line to compete directly with established chiller manufacturers now retooling their own commercial lineups around the same refrigerant mandate rather than offering a lower-tier alternative built to older standards.
Faster Delivery Than Incumbent OEMs
G&D Chillers said the SUMMIT AIR Series ships within weeks of order from its Oregon headquarters, compared with the multiple-month delays the company said are common with major incumbent OEMs currently working through the same refrigerant transition. The company frames the faster lead time as a direct response to buying activity that accelerated across the commercial sector once the AIM Act's 700 GWP cap took effect in January, leaving engineers and contractors scrambling for compliant equipment on tight project timelines heading into the peak of this year's construction and retrofit season.
Why the SUMMIT AIR Series Launch Matters for Commercial HVAC
The AIM Act's refrigerant mandate has forced every commercial chiller manufacturer to requalify equipment around new refrigerant chemistries at the same time, creating exactly the kind of supply bottleneck G&D Chillers is positioning the SUMMIT AIR Series to exploit. A new, US-built entrant offering ASHRAE 90.1-2025-compliant, A2L chillers with weeks-not-months lead times gives contractors and mechanical engineers a genuine alternative during a period when incumbent manufacturers are managing constrained production capacity for their own low-GWP replacement lines. That dynamic makes the SUMMIT AIR Series launch relevant well beyond G&D Chillers' own customer base, since it signals how quickly smaller manufacturers can move into gaps left by the industry-wide refrigerant transition, and how much pricing and delivery leverage that shift could hand to buyers willing to consider newer suppliers rather than waiting on backlogged incumbents.
What's Next for G&D Chillers
G&D Chillers has not disclosed initial order volumes or production capacity targets for the SUMMIT AIR Series. The launch follows Ingersoll Rand's acquisition of G&D Chillers and Advanced Gas Technologies, giving the smaller manufacturer access to a larger parent company's engineering and distribution resources as it scales the new product line into a commercial HVAC market still adjusting to the AIM Act's compliance deadlines and the broader scramble for low-GWP equipment across every major building type, from schools and hospitals to data centers and manufacturing plants. Ingersoll Rand has not said whether it plans to fold SUMMIT AIR into its broader commercial HVAC and industrial portfolio under a shared brand, or whether G&D Chillers will continue operating and marketing the line independently under its own name. Either way, the backing of a larger parent company gives the Oregon manufacturer more room to scale production if early demand for the low-GWP, quick-ship chiller line outpaces what a standalone regional manufacturer could typically support on its own. Contractors and engineers evaluating the new lineup will likely be watching how G&D Chillers handles its first wave of orders, since delivery speed is the central selling point of the launch, and any early slippage on the promised weeks-not-months timeline would undercut the exact advantage the company is using to differentiate itself from larger incumbent OEMs still working through their own low-GWP product transitions this year.
