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Have you recently purchased a replacement supply of R22 refrigerant (also known as Freon) for your air conditioning system?
If so, we’re betting that you received at least a mild dose of sticker shock. Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as time goes on, the price is only to get higher and higher.
Here’s why. In 1987 the world’s nations banded together and mandated the gradual phase-out of Freon, an ozone-depleting gas and an overall ecological menace. If you were to purchase a new air conditioner today, the cooling agent would be R410a, a more environmentally friendly alternative. Freon, or R22, was banned from all new system manufacturing as of January 1, 2010.
Over time, R22 will be completely banned, even as a refill for existing central air systems. In the meantime, replacement supplies of R22 refrigerant are still available, but each year become more difficult to obtain and more costly. That’s partly due to government limitations on how much Freon can be produced from one year to the next.
Still have an AC system that used Freon as a refrigerant? If so, here are your short term options:
Have your system recharged with Freon for as long as this gas remains available.
Proactively replace your system before a complete Freon ban goes into effect and/or your Freon-using AC system dies.
If option #2 sounds like the best plan of action to you, contact GBT Heating & Cooling and ask for a free in-home consultation and new system proposal. With a new, high-efficiency AC system working for you, your dependency on Freon will be a thing of the past. Plus you’ll be reducing your carbon footprint by a significant amount. And that’s good news for all of us.