Changes are Happening in the Air Conditioning Industry And They May Affect You!
Refrigerant-22 (also known as R-22) is one of the most widely used residential air conditioning refrigerants. You may be using R-22 in your system now. This refrigerant is being phased out of production by US law under the Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, it is becoming more and more expensive and in the future will be hard to obtain.
We’ve presented information here to help address your concerns. Please contact us to learn more about your system and your options or to schedule an appointment with us.
Q: Why is R-22 being phased out?
R-22 has been classified as a Class II refrigerant under the US Clean Air Act of 1994 as it is Ozone Depleting. A phase out schedule has been in place since 1994 and accelerated several times under worldwide treaties and most recently by the US EPA for total phase out effective 12/31/2019. Major refrigerant manufacturers have developed new refrigerants to replace R-22.
Q: When will R-22 be phased out and when will it be gone?
New manufacturing of R-22 is already reduced and will cease by 2020. After that, only recycled R-22 will be available.
Q: Is recycled R-22 as good as new R-22?
R-22 that has been recycled by an EPA-certified refrigerant reclaimer meets AHRI specifications and is equal to newly manufactured R-22 refrigerant.
Q: Why is my maintenance and repair more expensive than last time?
Prices for R-22 have risen steeply. You may not need R-22 refrigerant when your system is serviced, but if you do, you will see a sharp increase-and prices are likely to continue to rise as product becomes harder to obtain within the industry.
Q: What are my other air conditioning system options?
If you currently have a system that uses R-22 you could replace your system with a system using ozone friendly refrigerant such as R-410A.
We value our relationship and want to help you understand this change.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment or a consultation over the phone. 479-855-6161
