The manufacture of R-22 results in a dangerous by-product that adversely affects the environment. Older Air Conditioning systems can develop leaks that are slowly depleting the ozone. R-22 is considered a greenhouse gas.
Manufacturers of residential and commercial air conditioning systems have been offering equipment that uses ozone-friendly refrigerants for many years now. Sean McCutcheon’s Air conditioning and Heating, Inc. has been recommending Environmentally Safe refrigerants such as Puron since 2004.
As of January 1, 2010 the U.S. was required to reduce its consumption of HCFCs by 75%. R-22 may not be used in new equipment. As a result HVAC system manufacturers cannot produce new air conditioners and heat pumps that use R-22.
Unfortunately many homeowners had been misinformed about R-22 availability, and were sold HVAC systems that still used R-22 – even up to a year ago since some warehouses still stocked older models that were offered at huge discounts. As less R-22 is manufactured, the cost is sky rocketing. Already R-22 is going for as much as $40 plus per pound.
Moving forward consumers need to take the phase out of R-22 into consideration when having an existing system repaired. Be very cautious of any air conditioning company that is offering free Freon right now – they may be up to no good!
By January 1, 2020 the U.S. will reduce its consumption of HCFCs by 99.5%. Refrigerant that has been recovered, recycled and reclaimed will be allowed to service existing systems, but chemical manufacturers will no longer be able to produce R-22 to service existing air conditioners.
The Clean Air Act does not allow any refrigerant to be vented into the atmosphere during installation, service, or retirement of equipment. Therefore, R-22 must be recovered and recycled (for reuse in the same system), reclaimed (reprocessed to the same purity standard as new R-22), or destroyed. Sean McCutcheon’s Air conditioning and Heating takes great care to properly dispose of R-22 when removing old units.
We recover the R-22 refrigerant and turn it into reclamation and recycling depots for proper disposal or reuse.
At Sean McCutcheons Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. We give our customers the quality and service they expect!
Showing posts with label R-22. Show all posts
Showing posts with label R-22. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The future of R-22 refrigerant.
R-22 is a refrigerant that was used in most residential air-conditioning systems until just a couple years ago. It is considered a greenhouse gas since the manufacture of R-22 it results in a dangerous by-product that adversely affects the environment.
The United States began phasing out R-22 in 2004, and from day one Sean McCutcheon's Air conditioning and Heating, Inc. informed customers of the eventual complete phase out of R-22 and recommended their customers consider purchasing new systems that used Environmentally Safe refrigerants.
As of January 1st 2010 – New A/C systems manufactured cannot use R-22 refrigerant.
Some air conditioning businesses have purposely mislead their customers about the future availability of R-22. There are some large Air Conditioning companies that have warehouses full of “new” systems manufactured before 2010 – and they will sell this equipment to customers at a discount without fully explaining the phase out of R-22.
Not only is R-22 harmful to the environment, but it will become more expensive and harder to get over time. Systems that use R-22 cannot easily be converted to the new refrigerant so customers will also experience costly repair bills in the future.
The average life of an Air Conditioner is 10 to 12 years, so HVAC companies that have sold systems in the last couple years without educating their customers about the future of R-22 have been doing their clients a great disservice!
Recent actions by the EPA have led to uncertainty about the availability of R-22 in the coming months. The EPA controls the production R-22, through allowances that limit how much each gas manufacturer and importer can produce or import in a given year.
The EPA recently realized that R-22 was not being depleted as quickly as expected, which led them to consider a more aggressive phase down. In other words, this means even less production of R-22 to a total of only 55 million pounds in 2012 versus approximately 100 million pounds in 2011.
This has already resulted in the price for R-22 skyrocketing to more than a 250% increase with limited supplies.
Eventually pricing and availability may stabilize, but consumers need to be informed about R-22 so they do not purchase a “discounted” system that will be very costly to maintain and repair down the road.
If you are buying a new system, make sure you select a dealer who will take the time to help you choose the best system, and will help you understand your different options.
If a company is offering a system at a price that seems too good to be true – chances are it probably is….
Sarasota Air Conditioning Repair, Service, And Maintenance
The United States began phasing out R-22 in 2004, and from day one Sean McCutcheon's Air conditioning and Heating, Inc. informed customers of the eventual complete phase out of R-22 and recommended their customers consider purchasing new systems that used Environmentally Safe refrigerants.
As of January 1st 2010 – New A/C systems manufactured cannot use R-22 refrigerant.
Some air conditioning businesses have purposely mislead their customers about the future availability of R-22. There are some large Air Conditioning companies that have warehouses full of “new” systems manufactured before 2010 – and they will sell this equipment to customers at a discount without fully explaining the phase out of R-22.
Not only is R-22 harmful to the environment, but it will become more expensive and harder to get over time. Systems that use R-22 cannot easily be converted to the new refrigerant so customers will also experience costly repair bills in the future.
The average life of an Air Conditioner is 10 to 12 years, so HVAC companies that have sold systems in the last couple years without educating their customers about the future of R-22 have been doing their clients a great disservice!
Recent actions by the EPA have led to uncertainty about the availability of R-22 in the coming months. The EPA controls the production R-22, through allowances that limit how much each gas manufacturer and importer can produce or import in a given year.
The EPA recently realized that R-22 was not being depleted as quickly as expected, which led them to consider a more aggressive phase down. In other words, this means even less production of R-22 to a total of only 55 million pounds in 2012 versus approximately 100 million pounds in 2011.
This has already resulted in the price for R-22 skyrocketing to more than a 250% increase with limited supplies.
Eventually pricing and availability may stabilize, but consumers need to be informed about R-22 so they do not purchase a “discounted” system that will be very costly to maintain and repair down the road.
If you are buying a new system, make sure you select a dealer who will take the time to help you choose the best system, and will help you understand your different options.
If a company is offering a system at a price that seems too good to be true – chances are it probably is….
Sarasota Air Conditioning Repair, Service, And Maintenance
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