Air conditioning is crucial here on our Gulf Coast, but a new regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency is creating some changes that will impact your wallet.
These rules will eventually eliminate all refrigerants with a high global warming potential. For AC companies, these new rules will hopefully limit negative effects on the ozone layer.
Gordon Durant owns Freedom Residential, an AC company in Cape Coral. He said if you need to get a new air conditioner, you should be prepared to pay more than you did last time.
“We're seeing up to 40% if you include what is necessary to do with the refrigerant system, the old lines and installing the new stuff and the extra products that are, that are necessary to do the job,” said Durant.
Durant said new tools are needed to get the old product out.
“Refrigerant lines that run from the inside to the outside will now have to either be cleaned at a very high level with a product where you would have to shoot a cork through, and it would essentially clean the pipe out from all the existing oils and refrigerants that were in there,” said Durant.
With a new product comes new challenges and solutions.
“Because there is now a somewhat flammable component to the refrigerant, they've installed a bunch of new sensors, sensors designed to keep from carbon dioxide or even a natural gas to come inside of the home,” said Durant.
For now, it's best to talk to the AC company before you buy to figure out your best option.