That’s right! The chances are unless you have bought a new comfort system within the last two years your system probably is using R-22 refrigerant. And even if you have bought one in the last two years the chances of your system having R-22 in it is still significantly high.
Some of you may be asking, So what if it does? Well, we have just a little over a year left now before R-22 is completely phased out of production. Yes just as R-12 was phased out of production, So will R-22 be by 2010. This means prices are sky-rocketing for R-22. Already my company has seen the price increase by 300%. And the price is continually rising.
So if you are looking at buying a new system for your home or business, then consider buying a system with R-410A. Now many manufacturers of heating and cooling equipment have trademark names for R-410A. For example Carrier calls their R-410A Puron©. You can ask your dealer what refrigerant his system carries and he can explain it for you. A system with R-410A is slightly more expensive than one with R-22 but it will be worth it in the long run when R-22 prices hit un-buyable rates.
For more information about the phase out of R-22 you can visit the Department of Energy website.
