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Climate-Tech News: Freon (R-22) Prices Skyrocketing, Change is Imminent

February 2, 2012


Changes are occurring in the world of freon, also known as Refrigerant-22 or R-22, which is the coolant used in the majority of air conditioning units.

Per a release from an unnamed manufacturer of R-22 on Jan. 5.

“As of today, no producer or importer has the legal right to manufacture or import R-22 for refrigeration or air conditioning use. Under such circumstances the EPA is expected to issue ‘non enforcement’ letters to allow business continuity. Consequently, given the current absence of non-enforcement letters and the possibility of significantly higher than previously expected reductions in allocation rights, (company x) must now evaluate the impact such a reduction may have on our ability to meet customer demands.”

This means the Environmental Protection Agency is cutting back on the amount of R-22 that can be imported into the U.S. An initial government projection was to allow 55-80 million pounds of R-22 into the country in 2012, it is being rumored the EPA might not even let the bottom line number of 50 million into the country. As a comparison, in 2011 approximately 100 million pounds of R-22 came into the states.

What does this mean?

It will be harder and more expensive to cool your home in the hot summer months, due to this reduction of coolant coming into the U.S. moving forward.

This also means it is time to start thinking about changing over to more readily available coolant, called R-410a. If you don't consider the costs of changing over to the less expensive and higher efficient coolant, then you'll only be paying an arm and a leg for the older R-22, which has jumped in price from a reported 40-60 percent across the United States.

There is no escaping this increase in price since it is being regulated by the U.S. Government. Your only answer is to change.

If your home (or business) is currently using R-22, then it is in your best interest to call Climate-Tech in North Ridgeville, Ohio to talk to a comfort specialist and get an estimate to change your system over to the cheaper R-410a coolant.

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