You might not think often about how your air conditioner functions, but it needs refrigerant to keep your house cool. This refrigerant is controlled by environmental laws, since it contains chemicals.

Subject to when your air conditioner was added to your home, it may require R-22, R-410A or R-32 refrigerant. We’ll go over the differences and which air conditioner refrigerants are being phased out in East Bernard, in addition to how these phaseouts affect you.

What’s R-22 and Why Is It Phased Out?

If your air conditioner was put in before 2010, it likely has Freon®. You can find out if your air conditioner contains it by reaching us at 979-335-4262. You can also look at the name plate on your air conditioner condenser, which is situated outside your house. This sticker will have information on what kind of refrigerant your AC uses.

Freon, which is also referred to as R-22, contains chlorine. Scientists consider this chemical to be bad for the earth’s ozone layer and one that leads to global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency, which controls refrigerants in the United States, outlawed its production and import in January 2020.

I Have a R-22 Air Conditioner. Should I Replace It?

It varies. If your air conditioning is cooling properly, you can continue to run it. With yearly air conditioner maintenance, you can expect your AC to operate around 15–20 years. However, the Department of Energy reports that removing a 10-year-old air conditioner could save you 20–40% on summertime cooling costs!

If you don’t replace your air conditioner, it may cause a problem if you have to have air conditioning repair down the road, specifically for refrigerant. Repairs could be higher-priced, as only small quantities of recycled and reclaimed R-22 is accessible.

With the discontinuation of R-22, many new air conditioners now use Puron®. Also called R-410A, this refrigerant was developed to keep the ozone layer healthy. Because it needs an incompatible pressure level, it isn’t compatible with air conditioners that rely on R-22 for cooling.

However, Puron still has the potential to create global warming. As a consequence, it could also eventually be ended. Although it hasn’t been mandated yet for residential air conditioners, it’s likely sometime this decade.

What Refrigerant Will Replace R-410A?

In preparation of the discontinuation, some brands have started using R-32 in new air conditioners. This refrigerant ranks low for global warming possibility—around one-third less than R-410A. And it also lowers energy consumption by around 10%, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report. That’s savings that might be sent on to you through your cooling bills.

E.B. Air Can Provide Support with All Your Air Conditioning Needs

In brief, the alterations to air conditioner refrigerant probably won’t affect you very much until you need repairs. But as we went over beforehand, repairs connected to refrigerant may be pricier since there are the low levels on hand.

Not to mention, your air conditioner usually malfunctions at the worst time, often on the muggiest day when we’re experiencing a lot of other calls for AC repair.

If your air conditioner uses an outdated refrigerant or is getting old, we advise upgrading to a new, energy-efficient air conditioner. This provides a stress-free summer and may even lower your cooling bills, especially if you select an ENERGY STAR®-rated air conditioner. Plus, E.B. Air offers many financing solutions to make your new air conditioner fit your budget. Contact us at 979-335-4262 to begin now with a free estimate.