You might not think much about how your air conditioner operates, but it requires refrigerant to keep your home cool. This refrigerant is bound by environmental laws, as it contains chemicals.
Based on when your air conditioner was added to your home, it may use R-22, R-410A or R-32 refrigerant. We’ll review the differences and which air conditioner refrigerants are being phased out in Beckley, plus how these phaseouts impact you.
What’s R-22 and Why Is It No Longer Being Made?
If your air conditioner was added before 2010, it possibly contains Freon®. You can find out if your air conditioner uses it by calling us at 304-707-0600. You can also inspect the name plate on your air conditioner condenser, which is found outside your home. This sticker will include information on what model of refrigerant your AC has.
Freon, which is also known as R-22, includes chlorine. Scientists consider Freon to be harmful to the earth’s ozone layer and one that leads to global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency, which manages refrigerants in the United States, barred its creation and import in January 2020.
Should I Replace My R-22 Air Conditioner?
It differs. If your air conditioning is cooling correctly, you can continue to keep it. With routine air conditioner maintenance, you can expect your AC to work around 15–20 years. However, the Department of Energy notes that removing a 10-year-old air conditioner could save you 20–40% on yearly cooling bills!
If you don’t replace your air conditioner, it may create difficulties if you need air conditioning repair down the road, specifically for refrigerant. Repairs could be higher-priced, since only limited amounts of recycled and reclaimed R-22 is accessible.
With the end of R-22, a lot of new air conditioners now use Puron®. Also referred to as R-410A, this refrigerant was developed to keep the ozone layer in good shape. Because it requires a varying pressure level, it doesn’t match air conditioners that use R-22 for cooling.
However, Puron still has the possibility to contribute to global warming. As a result, it could also sometime be phased out. Although it hasn’t been mandated yet for residential air conditioners, it’s likely sometime this decade.
What Refrigerant Will Take the Place of R-410A?
In preparation of the phaseout, some companies have begun using R-32 in new air conditioners. This refrigerant ranks low for global warming potential—about one-third less than R-410A. And it also lowers energy use by approximately 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 energy bills.
Appalachian Heating Can Assist with All Your Air Conditioning Needs
In short, the modifications to air conditioner refrigerant probably won’t affect you a whole lot until you have to have repairs. But as we went over previously, refrigerant-related repairs can be more costly since there are the low amounts available.
Aside from that, your air conditioner frequently malfunctions at the worst time, typically on the warmest day when we’re getting many other calls for AC repair.
If your air conditioner requires a phased out refrigerant or is more than 15 years old, we advise getting a new, energy-efficient air conditioner. This provides a hassle-free summer and might even lower your cooling bills, especially if you get an ENERGY STAR®-rated air conditioner. Plus, Appalachian Heating provides many financing programs to make your new air conditioner fit your budget. Contact us at 304-707-0600 to begin now with a free estimate.