What You Should Know About the R-22 Refrigerant Phase-Out
At Sound Energy, we’re proud to offer air conditioning services to our customers! Since we deal in AC equipment, we also feel it’s our job to inform our customers about the changes on the horizon, and how they might impact certain customers’ AC upkeep costs.
To start, here’s the low down on the R-22 phase-out…
R-22 is a refrigerant that has been found to cause harm to the ozone layer when released into the atmosphere. Because of this, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that R-22 will be completely phased out by January, 2020 – which is less than a year away!
This is great for our environment, but could be a bit hard on the wallets of customers whose AC equipment utilizes R-22 refrigerant!
Since the EPA’s ruling, R-22 supplies have been limited. As a result, R-22 prices rose slowly. Now that the phase-out is in its final stages, R-22 prices are skyrocketing! Homeowners may have even noticed a rise in their AC repair bills.
Luckily, Connecticut homeowners have options!
- Replace Your AC Before It Breaks Down. If your equipment still uses R-22 refrigerant, it was likely installed before 2010 – when R-22 was no longer used in AC systems. Not only is your equipment costing you more with repairs and refrigerant charges, but it’s more than a decade old and could be very inefficient. You could possibly save up to 30% on your utility costs by upgrading to a new AC system!
- Retrofit Your Older Systems. This option won’t be possible for all air conditioning systems, but looking into being able to retrofit your AC system so that it can use a new refrigerant could save you on both repair costs and upgrade costs down the line.
- Wait for the Breakdown. You could just stick it out and continue using your equipment beyond January 2020, if it lasts that long. At that point, however, you’ll need to upgrade your equipment – which will be an extra cost on top of the upkeep costs that have already been paid over time.
No matter what your choice is, we’re here to help! If you’d like to learn more about the R-22 phase-out, or modern air conditioning equipment installation and upgrades, contact us online!
