An important part of how your air conditioner makes your home cool during the hot Florida summer is a chemical mixture known as refrigerant. As it gets circulated through your air conditioner’s coils, the refrigerant changes from a liquid to a gas inside the coils in order to cool the air as it passes over them.
Up until fairly recently, CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) were used in most air conditioning systems. When it became widely understood that the use of CFCs had ozone-depleting side-effects, many manufacturers switched over to more environmentally friendly refrigerants. The US Environmental Protection Agency officially phased out the use of CFC-based refrigerant in 2010 for new systems.
Nowadays, R-410A is the most common environmentally friendly refrigerant on the market. Being ozone-friendly requires a refrigerant that doesn’t use chlorine. Aside from the impact on the environment, switching to an eco-friendly refrigerant also reduces the risks of toxic chemical exposure in the event your refrigerant leaks. There are many alternatives on the market. To learn more about whether you can make the switch to a new refrigerant or new system, talk to the Miami, FL air conditioning experts at Air On Demand.
If your air conditioner needs frequent repair is getting older, it may be more cost-effective to replace your unit rather than repair its broken components. Speak to a pro at Air On Demand today to understand what your air conditioning replacement and installation options are. Upgrading to a new environmentally friendly unit may not only help you save the environment, it may also reduce the amount of energy you use to cool your home.