Price for air-conditioning service has 'tripled to quadrupled' due to new EPA rules

As temperatures increase with the onset of spring, so, too, will the cost for repairing and refilling air conditioners with the coolant gas known as Freon.

Northeast Florida air-conditioning contractors have already started to warn customers seeking repairs to brace for a dramatic jump in adding the gas that provides the coolant in air conditioners. Compared to a year ago, the price for putting Freon in a residential or commercial air conditioner will be radically more expensive.

The price jump affects air conditioners that were mainly manufactured before 2010.

“What it means is they have tripled to quadrupled their price on Freon for a service call,” said Tom Karol, a service technician at Don’s Air Conditioning in Jacksonville. “That’s a hell of an expense.”

The jump in Freon costs is the result of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directive implemented this year. The EPA is phasing out production of the old Freon, known as R-22. That’s because the coolant contained hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are the gases believed to be eroding the earth’s ozone layer. Instead, the EPA is requiring air conditioning manufacturers to use Freon R-410A, which is a cleaner gas.

That means the price of the old type of Freon has jumped from about $40 per pound to about $90 per pound. A refill of Freon in an air conditioning unit usually takes about 5 to 10 pounds of the gas.

“These are direct costs that we are paying to buy this refrigerant and we have no choice but to pass this along to the consumer” said Ed Miller, president of Snyder Heating and Air Conditioning in Jacksonville.

The bulk of the high cost in Freon to customers is almost entirely linked to repairs to existing air conditioning units in homes and businesses. Vehicles are not affected, Miller said, because the environmentally-threatening Freon was eliminated from use in vehicles long ago.

But since the new Freon was introduced and the old style of Freon’s production was ordered by the EPA to be reduced, old tactics for maintaining an air conditioner, such as simply refilling a leaky refrigerant gas chamber, are no longer financially feasible, Miller said.

Miller said a single repair cost has jumped from about $100 to $400.

“Sometimes they [air conditioning units] have small pin-hole leaks that cause them to leak out. … Making the repair and fixing the refrigerant leak is more necessary now because of the high price of the refrigerant,” Miller said.

A slow leak in the past was simply refilled by many owners of air conditioning units, Miller said. But refills are so expensive, it’s best to actually repair the device or replace it rather than just refilling it.

“Now, you’ve got to replace the whole thing or the compressor,” Karol said. “When we’re explaining it to people they’re kind of taken aback and they don’t know what to do. They’re trying to hold off on doing anything right now because it’s not that hot or that cold right now.”

The increased Freon costs come on top of a new Florida regulation that requires air conditioning contractors to complete an energy calculation survey of a structure before a system is installed. That went into effect March 15 and adds another cost of about $100 to $300 owed to contractors for the inspection work.

But as summer and hotter temperatures approach, Karol said there will be less R-22 Freon and anyone putting off air conditioning repairs will pay a stiff price.

“When it starts taking effect, the cutbacks of Freon R-22, it’s really going to hit people hard,” Karol said. “I look for Freon to probably go over $500 for a 28-pound tank.”

drew.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4098

Cost: About $90 per pound
High pollution: Contains hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which erode ozone layer
Obsolete: Meant for air-conditioning units made before 2010
Production: Being phased out due to EPA mandate
Cost: About $80 to $100 per pound
Environmentally friendly: Contains no hydro-chlorofluorocarbons; no impact on the ozone layer
Contemporary: Can be used on new air-conditioning units as well as those manufactured before 2010
Production: It’s in high production and will replace the original Freon R-22 gas entirely