As of January 2010 the refrigerant R 22 ( what consumers call Freon
) will not be allowed to be used in new equipment. R 22 has been
used as the "standard" refrigerant for many years but has been found
to be harmful to our planet by our government. We have copied an
article directly from the Environmental Protection Agency's own web
site so that you will have the truth about Freon rather than
listening to ANY Heating and Air Conditioning contractor who may
have reasons to mislead you.
Prices for R 22 will gradually go up as the next few years go by but
should not be outrageous for a long time. We always try to get our
clients to let us repair Freon leaks when we find them for
everyone's benefit including our planet!
What it really boils down to as you will see after reading this
article is if you install a new R22 air conditioning system you will
be able to get refrigerant for your system at least until the year
2020. Chances are, within that much time you will need a new system,
so don't base a purchase on Freon alone. You need to be aware
however that when a system is changed over to 410A we will need to
change the condenser (out door unit), the evaporator coil and the
refrigerant copper line set in most cases. In other words if you
think you will be in your home for let's say 4 years, the higher
efficiency of a 13 S.E.E.R. unit will not only pay for itself over a
10 S.E.E.R. but may play a role in whether on not a future home
buyer will be interested in buying your home if they think they will
have to lay out a lot of money installing a 410A system in the near
future. Obviously if you know you will be selling your home soon it
is hard in our viewpoint to justify the higher efficiency units. The
higher efficiency units do carry a longer warranty and usually
qualify for rebates from power companies, some other things to
consider!
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