NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - If the air conditioning unit at your home was manufactured before 2010 expect a common summer repair to cost up to triple the usual amount.
There is now a new, environmentally friendly, version of Freon — the coolant gas used in a/c units. With the development of the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-backed product, the old Freon, R-22, is being phased out.
Air conditioning professionals say with the elimination of R-22 consumers can expect repair costs to increase substantially.
“The refrigerant’s definitely gonna, it has tripled in cost so obviously that cost has be passed on to the consumer,” said Randy Kelly, with One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. “So, if someone has a refrigerant leak and it has to have R-22 put back in it, it’s really gonna make that repair cost more.”
According to Kelly, the price for a pound of R-22 has jumped from around $20 a pound to up to $90.
Refilling air conditioners with Freon is anything but unusual and is often done annually, as opposed to undergoing expensive mechanical repairs.
“Air conditioners do develop leaks, over a period of time, and it is a common repair,” said Kelly. “There are no telling how many units out there that have leaks that people just a pound, or two pounds, in every year.”
Kelly suggests that homeowners with a serious problem either fix the leak immediately or replace the unit.
The EPA is now requiring air conditioning manufacturers to use Freon R-410A in their units, which is a cleaner gas.
Showing posts with label air conditioning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label air conditioning. Show all posts
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Freon For Older Air Conditioners Is Being Phased Out
Written by Patrick Phillippi
Greensboro, NC - Approximately eighty percent of air conditioners across the country are going to have to replaced by 2020, and the price to simply service air conditioners with Freon is going to triple, this as a result of new emission standards from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Air conditioners five to ten years old or older use R22 Freon, which is being phased out for the new Freon, R422.
This phase out is causing the prices for R22 to skyrocket, according to Vicky Maness of Kay Heating and Air. The prices consumers will be pay this summer will be almost triple the price, Manes said,"It is definitely going to be a shock knowing what they paid last year."
The R22 Freon will no longer be produced after 2020, and because older air conditioners only use R22, they will all have to be replaced.
And with the cost of replacing an air conditioner starting at $5,000, many consumers will be faced with a hard reality.
Rodney Smith, a supplier of R22, says of the price rise, "It is like nothing I have ever seen, ever. I think the reaction from consumers is going to bordering on outrage."
As R22 Freon continues to phase out of production, the price of this freon could continue to rise, making it even more expensive to service air conditioners.
And the impact will be widespread, "Apartment complexes, homeowners, businesses, any equipment that has R22 Freon it's going to affect them right now." said Maness.
Greensboro, NC - Approximately eighty percent of air conditioners across the country are going to have to replaced by 2020, and the price to simply service air conditioners with Freon is going to triple, this as a result of new emission standards from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Air conditioners five to ten years old or older use R22 Freon, which is being phased out for the new Freon, R422.
This phase out is causing the prices for R22 to skyrocket, according to Vicky Maness of Kay Heating and Air. The prices consumers will be pay this summer will be almost triple the price, Manes said,"It is definitely going to be a shock knowing what they paid last year."
The R22 Freon will no longer be produced after 2020, and because older air conditioners only use R22, they will all have to be replaced.
And with the cost of replacing an air conditioner starting at $5,000, many consumers will be faced with a hard reality.
Rodney Smith, a supplier of R22, says of the price rise, "It is like nothing I have ever seen, ever. I think the reaction from consumers is going to bordering on outrage."
As R22 Freon continues to phase out of production, the price of this freon could continue to rise, making it even more expensive to service air conditioners.
And the impact will be widespread, "Apartment complexes, homeowners, businesses, any equipment that has R22 Freon it's going to affect them right now." said Maness.
Monday, January 16, 2012
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