Phase-Out of R22 and what it means for you!

Why Should I Care About the Phase-out of R22?
Your cooling equipment requires a refrigerant gas to operate. For decades, the refrigerant of choice was R-22.

However, beginning in the 1970’s, an international treaty known as the Montreal Protocol targeted R-22, otherwise known as Freon. Consequently, a worldwide phase-out began.

Lisa Crosley is President of Lifestyle Comfort Solutions. She often uses her home to test the performance of HVAC products before recommending them to Lifestyle clients.
In this blog, Lisa explains what the phase out of R-22 as a refrigerant means to homeowners and commercial customers.

Beginning January 2020, it is illegal to manufacture or import R-22 (Freon) into the United States.
Hence, older air-conditioning equipment—both in homes and in commercial buildings—now depends on a rapidly dwindling supply of R-22.

What Should I Expect?

•  Rapidly Rising Repair Costs
  Beginning January 2020, the only source of R22/Freon will be reclaimed refrigerant. Over time, supplies will dwindle, and cost will increase. Perhaps sooner, rather than later, it will be more cost-effective to replace an ailing HVAC system rather than repair it.
• Significant Penalties for Refrigeration Leaks
  According to EPA regulations, older HVAC equipment which develops refrigerant leaks may result in stiff fines and penalties. Never ignore a diagnosed leak. If you suspect refrigerant is leaking from you HVAC equipment, get professional HVAC help IMMEDIATELY.
• Slow Down in Emergency Service
  While Lifestyle Comfort Solutions and other trustworthy HVAC repair companies will make every effort to provide R22 to its customers for as long as possible, homeowners and commercial facility managers need to understand that there simply won’t be enough to go around.
  It may take weeks or months for homes or businesses to score enough R22 to get an aging system up and running.

Be on the Look-Out
As demand increases and supplies dwindle, the EPA is already investigating cases of contaminated and counterfeit refrigerants being sold. The result? Fires and explosions!

Mixing refrigerants of varying types can cause a catastrophic failure in your HVAC system.

Going forward, only purchase R22 from a trusted HVAC service supplier.

What Does Lifestyle Comfort Solutions Suggest?

• Purchase a MyLifestyle! Maintenance Agreement. Professionally maintained HVAC equipment is less likely to develop a leak. With a professional tune-up you should know more quickly if a leak has developed. Moreover, MyLifestyle! Agreement holders enjoy priority service in an emergency.
• Consider planned replacement. A modern system which uses new refrigerants is your best bet in the long run.
• Trust Lifestyle Comfort Solutions to provide solutions. More recently manufactured HVAC equipment uses more Earth-friendly refrigerants. Talk to us about solutions.

Lifestyle Comfort Solutions’ mission is to create homes and workplaces which are comfortable, safe, healthy, and energy efficient. Whether you need to replace, repair, maintain, or enhance your heating and cooling system, our award-winning team is here when you need us.