Cost of Popular Home Air Conditioning Refrigerant Up 300 Percent in 2012

Federal EPA regulations limiting the production of R-22 refrigerant are increasing air conditioning repair and maintenance costs for home and business owners across the U.S. at a staggering rate.

June 12, 2012 (FPRC) -- Prices have begun to steadily rise for a common refrigerant used in many air conditioning systems due to federal regulations designed to encourage the use of a newer, greener alternative.

For the past forty years, R-22 has been the aerosol propellant of choice in residential air and heating systems. According to a recent report, however, its use in home systems is expected to rapidly fall over the next few years, bottoming out around ten percent of its historic use nationwide. As production and consumption costs for Freon increase, ac repair and maintenance costs for older residential systems that were designed to specifically use R-22 have increased more than 300 percent in 2012, alone.

In an effort to meet federal goals on overall carbon emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency tracks the allowable allocations of R-22 usage, and publishes the allocations of R-22 use on a yearly basis. This past January, however, the EPA did not release their allocations for allowable R-22 usage, making the manufacture or importation of additional R-22 illegal.

The complete in production has resulted in a spike in the price of R-22, causing homeowners to recoil in horror when their ac systems spring a leak or require recharging of the traditional propellant.

When breached for comment, Barry Andrews, president of Air National of Houston, LLC stated, "As a home air conditioning repair and service provider, I feel it is my responsibility to influence owners of older, leaking systems to consider replacing their units with newer units."

"Considering the rapid spike in prices, there's no way of predicting what prices are going to be down the road", Andrews added.

The rush to new installations isn't heralded by all, however, and some industry leaders are adopting a wait-and-see attitude towards the situation.

"We still don't know for sure what the EPA is planning", stated John Erwin, president of The National HVAC Convention. "There's every possibility that new allocations will be published and production will resume. We just don't know."

Limitations on R-22 production began as a result of The Montreal Protocol, an international treaty signed in 1987 that established requirements to encourage the worldwide phase-out of ozone depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). One of the provisions of the treaty require that nations enact regulations that would ultimately eliminate the use of R-22 by January 1, 2020.

Manufacturers of R-22 began halting production in 2010, so as to be in compliance with the U.S. EPAs Clean Air Act, which intends to limit the production of pollutants that emit greenhouse gasses as a byproduct. R-22 is one step more serious than that; it is itself classified as a greenhouse gas.

As an alternative, new systems are being designed to run on a more environmentally friendly propellant, R-410A. The newer refrigerant will not work in older systems, and requires a higher system pressure to produce effective propellant effects. In addition to being more eco-friendly, the newer refrigerant also promotes a financial incentive for homeowners because it is deemed more efficient than its obsolete counterpart, with some reports indicating an average of 40% reduction in home energy costs.

Critics of the phase-out plan argue that although R-410A does not contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, the propellant is still a "blend" of CFCs, and as such, contributes to global warming just like it's older predecessor, R-22.

Another refrigerant on the list of acceptable propellants is R-407C, which at this time is only available to households outside of the U.S., and are commonly found in Europe.

The EPA has stated that it will continue to review newer, non-ozone-depleting air conditioning refrigerants as they are developed.

Selling Your Junk CFCs to RemTec International Not Only Makes Sense.... It Makes Dollars

Climate Crisis - The 21 Gigatonne Time Bomb (Nature Inc)

THE 21 GIGATONNE TIMEBOMB: Broadcast in May 2011 on BBC World News to 300 million homes this programme explores the much-neglected issue of what to do about the super-greenhouse gases?

Under the 1987 Montreal Protocol, CFCs and other so-called ozone-depleting chemicals are outlawed, but their Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) replacements – while harmless to the ozone layer – are powerful greenhouse agents.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change fully one fifth of the greenhouse effect by midcentury will be ascribed to these ozone-friendly but "super greenhouse gases" used in refrigeration and air conditioning.

There are alternatives – principally hydrocarbons - commercially available now (but also ammonia, carbon dioxide and water), but in some countries, they are considered a fire hazard, and are restricted. Many countries allow their usage provided safety standards are followed.

Meanwhile companies such as Dupont are developing a new generation of refrigerants, such as R-1234yf, that they claim have an minimal impact on climate change and are only "mildly flammable" (overlooking extremely toxic combustion byproducts including the lethal hydrogen fluoride).

But they are not yet commercially available, and will be far more expensive than hydrocarbons and high GWP HFCs when they come to market. Different countries have different stances on how to deal with HFC issue. This documentary examines this interesting story from different perspectives.      

http://vimeo.com/23345397    

RemTec's Disposal Program is Hassle Free!

RemTec International is an EPA certified reclaimer of refrigerants and we buy recovered (used) CFCs R-11, R-12, R-113, R-114 and R-115.

RemTec’s Disposal Program is Hassle Free!

RemTec Provides:
· Shipping documents.
· Tank pickups are scheduled.
· Free transport of your cylinders to and from our Bowling Green, Ohio processing facility.*
· Payment for your CFCs meeting 98% purity.
· Free disposal of your CFCs testing below 98% purity.
· A complete paper trail for your EPA recordkeeping.
· Hydrostatic testing of your tanks at an additional cost.
*Based on a minimum net weight requirement of refrigerant.

Gary.Stofan@remtec.net or patti.ellingson@remtec.net
RemTec International
1100 Haskins Road
Bowling Green, OH 43402
1-888-873-6832
www.remtec.net

RemTec International purchases surpluses of used Halon 1301, Halon 1211, HFC-227ea, HFC-125, HFC-236fa and Novec 1230™.
RemTec also provides quick turnaround recharge service for Halon 1301, HFC-227ea, HFC-125, HFC-236fa and Novec 1230™.