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

Depending on when your air conditioner was put in, 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 Thousand Palms, as well as how these phaseouts impact you.

What’s R-22 and Why Is It Discontinued?

If your air conditioner was added before 2010, it probably uses Freon®. You can find out if your air conditioner uses it by reaching us at 760-314-4766. You can also inspect the name plate on your air conditioner condenser, which is located outside your home. This sticker will have information on what type of refrigerant your AC needs.

Freon, which is also called R-22, contains chlorine. Scientists consider Freon 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, barred its creation and import in January 2020.

Should I Replace My R-22 Air Conditioner?

It differs. If your air conditioning is running correctly, you can continue to use it. With regular air conditioner maintenance, you can expect your air conditioning to run 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 expenses!

If you don’t install a new air conditioner, it might lead to an issue if you require air conditioning repair in the future, specifically for refrigerant. Repairs can be more expensive, as only reduced amounts of recycled and reclaimed R-22 is available.

With the phaseout of R-22, a lot of new air conditioners now use Puron®. Also known as R-410A, this refrigerant was created to keep the ozone layer in good shape. As it calls for a varying pressure level, it doesn’t match air conditioners that rely on R-22 for cooling.

However, Puron still has the likelihood to lead to global warming. Because of that, it could also sometime be ended. Although it hasn’t been disclosed yet for residential air conditioners, it’s anticipated sometime this decade.

What Refrigerant Will Take the Place of R-410A?

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

Marios Air Conditioning Can Help with All Your Air Conditioning Needs

In brief, the changes to air conditioner refrigerant probably won’t concern you very much until you have to have repairs. But as we talked about beforehand, refrigerant repairs can be more costly because of the low quantities on hand.

Aside from that, your air conditioner frequently breaks down at the worst time, often on the muggiest day when we’re getting many other appointments for AC repair.

If your air conditioner uses a discontinued refrigerant or is getting old, we suggest upgrading to a new, energy-efficient air conditioner. This ensures a stress-free summer and can even decrease your cooling bills, especially if you get an ENERGY STAR®-rated model. Plus, Marios Air Conditioning provides many financing programs to make your new air conditioner work with your budget. Contact us at 760-314-4766 to start now with a free estimate.