You might not think often about how your air conditioner works, but it relies on refrigerant to keep your home fresh. This refrigerant is bound by environmental rules, since it contains chemicals.

Based on when your air conditioner was added to your home, it may need R-22, R-410A or R-32 refrigerant. We’ll go over the differences and which air conditioner refrigerants are being phased out in Siloam Springs, in addition to how these phaseouts impact you.

What’s R-22 and Why Is It No Longer Being Made?

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it possibly uses Freon®. You can learn if your air conditioner has it by calling us at 479-308-8176. You can also examine the name plate on your air conditioner condenser, which is situated outside your house. This sticker will have information on what model of refrigerant your AC has.

Freon, which is also called R-22, includes chlorine. Scientists consider this chemical to be bad for the earth’s ozone layer and one that contributes to global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency, which manages refrigerants in the United States, outlawed its creation 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 cooling fine, you can continue to run it. With routine air conditioner maintenance, you can expect your system to work around 15–20 years. However, the Department of Energy reports that removing a 10-year-old air conditioner could save you 20–40% on annual cooling expenses!

If you don’t install a new air conditioner, it might create difficulties if you require air conditioning repair later on, specifically for refrigerant. Repairs could be pricier, because only reduced amounts of recycled and reclaimed R-22 is available.

With the phaseout of R-22, many new air conditioners now have Puron®. Also called R-410A, this refrigerant was developed to keep the ozone layer healthy. As it needs an incompatible pressure level, it doesn’t work with air conditioners that need R-22 for cooling.

However, Puron still has the potential to create global warming. Because of that, it might also sometime be ended. Although it hasn’t been communicated yet for residential air conditioners, it’s likely sometime this decade.

What Refrigerant Will Replace R-410A?

In preparation of the discontinuation, some brands have started using R-32 in new air conditioners. This refrigerant is classified low for global warming possibility—around one-third less than R-410A. And it also decreases energy expenditure by approximately 10%, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report. That’s savings that may be passed on to you through your cooling bills.

Siloam Springs Heating & AC Can Help with All Your Air Conditioning Needs

In short, the modifications to air conditioner refrigerant probably won’t concern you a whole lot until you have to have repairs. But as we discussed earlier, refrigerant repairs might be more costly because of the restricted quantities available.

Aside from that, your air conditioner frequently stops working at the worst time, often on the hottest day when we’re getting a lot of other appointments for AC repair.

If your air conditioner relies on a discontinued refrigerant or is getting old, we advise installing a new, energy-efficient air conditioner. This delivers a trouble-free summer and might even reduce your cooling bills, especially if you choose an ENERGY STAR®-rated system. Plus, Siloam Springs Heating & AC offers many financing options to make your new air conditioner even more affordable. Contact us at 479-308-8176 to start today with a free estimate.