You might not think often about how your air conditioner functions, but it depends on refrigerant to keep your home cold. This refrigerant is controlled by environmental laws, since it contains chemicals.

Subject to when your air conditioner was put in, it may use R-22, R-410A or R-32 refrigerant. We’ll go over the differences and which air conditioner refrigerants are being phased out in New Castle, plus how these phaseouts affect you.

What’s R-22 and Why Is It Phased Out?

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely contains Freon®. You can learn if your air conditioner contains it by calling us at 724-401-1843. You can also examine the name plate on your air conditioner condenser, which is located outside your residence. This sticker will include information on what model of refrigerant your AC needs.

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

I Use an Air Conditioner with R-22. Do I Need to Get a New One?

It depends. If your air conditioning is operating correctly, you can continue to use it. With routine air conditioner maintenance, you can expect your system to run around 15–20 years. However, the Department of Energy reports that replacing a 10-year-old air conditioner could save you 20–40% on yearly cooling bills!

If you don’t get a new air conditioner, it may cause difficulties if you require air conditioning repair later on, specifically for refrigerant. Repairs could be more expensive, as only limited quantities of recycled and reclaimed R-22 is on hand.

With the phaseout of R-22, a lot of new air conditioners now rely on Puron®. Also known as R-410A, this refrigerant was made to keep the ozone layer strong. Because it requires a varying pressure level, it isn’t compatible with air conditioners that need R-22 for cooling.

However, Puron still has the likelihood to create global warming. As a result, it could also sometime be phased out. Although it hasn’t been communicated yet for residential air conditioners, it’s expected sometime this decade.

What Refrigerant Will Replace R-410A?

In preparation of the end, some companies have initiated using R-32 in new air conditioners. This refrigerant rates low for global warming likelihood—approximately one-third less than R-410A. And it also decreases energy expenditure by around 10%, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report. That’s savings that could be forwarded on to you through your utility expenses.

Central Heating & Plumbing Can Help with All Your Air Conditioning Needs

In brief, the alterations to air conditioner refrigerant probably won’t affect you greatly until you need repairs. But as we talked about earlier, repairs connected to refrigerant might be more expensive due to the restricted quantities on hand.

In addition to that, your air conditioner frequently malfunctions at the worst time, frequently on the warmest day when we’re receiving lots of other calls for AC repair.

If your air conditioner relies on a discontinued refrigerant or is more than 15 years old, we suggest upgrading to an up-to-date, energy-efficient air conditioner. This delivers a hassle-free summer and could even decrease your cooling expenses, especially if you choose an ENERGY STAR®-rated air conditioner. Plus, Central Heating & Plumbing provides many financing options to make your new air conditioner work with your budget. Contact us at 724-401-1843 to begin today with a free estimate.