“Slipped into the massive, must-pass spending/COVID relief bill were provisions cracking down on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) on the grounds that they are greenhouse gases. HFCs are the class of refrigerants currently used in most types of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. It includes one called R-410A, an HFC blend used in the majority of residential central air conditioners as well as many window units.
The production quotas for HFCs will start in 2022 and get progressively more stringent in the years afterwards. Thus, when homeowners must replenish R-410A lost from a leak, which happens to millions of them every summer, they will very likely have to pay more for it.
For manufacturers, the current systems designed to use R-410A are the lowest cost option on the market, thus several brands would be happy to see them outlawed in favor of pricier models using heavily-hyped new “green” refrigerants. In addition, some of the new refrigerants are classified as mildly flammable, which might give some consumers reason to avoid making the switch – unless they have no choice.”
Get more details on these new regulations here.
The big question is whether these new changes are worth the headaches that they will cause for consumers. While R-410A is much more potent than CO2, it accounts for less than 3% of global warming factors. This is compared to the 80% of greenhouse gas emissions that CO2 is responsible for in the U.S. Therefore, it’s doubtful these new regulations will have much of an impact at all on climate change.
As a partner of Trane, Temperature Control Specialities provides the latest and best air conditioners on the market. Visit our cooling products page or call us at (317) 247-7663 to learn more.