Many air conditioners will soon be obsolete and unserviceable.
Within the next few years, you will not be able to buy the type of Freon known as R22, which was once used to keep air conditioners cool. The United States’s Environmental Protection Agency has decreed that R22 depletes ozone, and therefore should no longer be in commercial use. Part of the EPA’s mandate is to limit consumer usage of ozone-depleting chemicals, and studies revealed R22 to be particularly damaging in this regard.
Newer air conditioners use other types of Freon which are less environmentally hazardous. Some new HVAC models use other, non-Freon chemicals that scientists have developed in recent years. But many older air conditioners still depend on R22 for their cooling. R22 supplies are already dwindling, and prices have skyrocketed on existing R22 containers.
Nobody will force consumers to purchase new air conditioners, but it will gradually become more and more expensive to service older models that depend on R22.
If you are in the Cincinnati area and would like to consider other options for updating your home’s HVAC system, we would be happy to assist you and provide you with current information. Newer HVAC units have much greater efficiency than older systems, so you will likely see a reduction in your energy bills once you invest in a more recent model.
Some homeowners have been able to convert their old R22-based air conditioning systems to use more eco-friendly refrigerants. In most cases, though, such transitions have been costly. The most reasonably-priced solution is often the move to a newer and more energy-efficient cooling system.