Air Conditioning
Refrigerant Changes are Coming!
Next year will bring changes to air conditioning and heat pumps. If you're thinking of installing or upgrading your system, now may be the best time for a while.R-410a, like R-22 before it, is being phased out due to environmental impacts. Effective January 2025, the import and manufacture of systems must move to the new refrigerants, usually R-32 or R-454B. In the long run, this is good for the environment—but in the short-term, there is the potential for teething problems as technology changes.
R-410a systems, on the other hand, have been refined year over year since coming to market in 1996, and are now at the pinnacle of their design. You can mitigate the risks that come with new technology by installing or replacing your system this year.
But don't panic! While new R-410A will be forbidden in new installations, it will still be available to repair existing systems for years to come. It is also industry practice to collect used refrigerants for disposal, and in the future, R-410A collection will likely transition to recovery and reuse, as occurred with R-22 previously. And as long as the refrigerant is contained in the system, it isn't causing any problem—so if your system is still working well, there's no rush to get rid it.
A/C
Tired of the sticky Upstate New York summers? An A/C system can make your home pleasant during those humid days of summer.| Window Unit | Central Air | Heat Pump |
|---|---|---|
| Cools the area in which it is located | Cools the whole house | Both heats and cools depending on weather |
| Requires annual mounting/removing | Permanently installed | Permanently installed |
| Several needed for average house | One unit for whole house | One unit heats and cools, lowering energy consumption costs |
| Operating noise in living space | Quietly operates outside or in basement/closet | Quietly operates outside or in basement/closet |
Integrated with your existing furnace, a central air system uses the existing ductwork to cool your whole house. Compared to operating several window units, a central air system is more efficient and has lower operating costs.
