Did you know that R-22 refrigerant will be twice as expensive this year?

As we have known for some time the EPA is phasing out the use of HCFC refrigerants. The most popular one is R-22, which has been used in residential and light commercial air conditioning systems for almost 40 years. The first step of this process was in 2010 when manufacturers could no longer ship equipment with R-22 refrigerant. The production of new R-22 has met the needs of the service industry in maintaining existing equipment, but the amount produced will be reduced every year until 2020, when all production will stop. After 2020, the servicing of R-22 equipment systems will rely on the availability of recycled refrigerant.

While consumers should be aware that R-22 will be available for a long time the cost will go up as the supply goes down and demand stays high. As of January 2012 we have had a 50% increase in price per pound over just 6 months ago. It is speculated that there will be yet another increase as the summer demand season grows closer. No one knows what the cost will actually be in the near future, but if it is anything like previously phased out CFC refrigerants (R-12, R-502) it will be so high that most people will just have to go with equipment that has the newer refrigerants in them.

If you have a unit that you have been “filling up” in the past, now is the time to see if the leak can be repaired. Some leaks can be fixed at a low cost without having to buy new equipment. If the leak is small enough, there is a newer product called Stop Leak that can be added to the system to seal the leak. Depending on the age of your system, it might just be best to replace it with a new HFC (R410A) unit.