Is your air conditioner not running cold enough? The fix will cost you more these days - Wxyz.com
(WXYZ) - Our air conditioners are working overtime with these sweltering temperatures. But if yours isn’t running as cool as you’d like, it’s going to cost you more than in years past. That’s because most a-c units still run on freon, the refrigerant, that keeps your house cool. But now it’s being phased out for enviromental reasons.
We surveyed three SouthEast Mmichigan heating and cooling companies, who all say, their prices have doubled for freon, specifically r-22, which runs some 90 percent of air conditioning units out there.
This government is phasing it out with production of freon stopping completely in 2020. This year the EPA has not made a final determination on how much refrigerant will be available.
As a result the industry is in a flux. The prices too.
Last year is cost $30, this year it could be $60 or $120, depending on when or who you’re buying it from. That’s why you need to shop around first and do the math.
Some homeowners have decided to get a whole new unit, although experts we spoke to advised that it’s not necessary to do that… as freon isn’t replace that often, and could last you decades.
If you want to know what your air conditioner runs on, check the sticker on the unit.
If if you have an older unit that says r-22, be prepared to pay more if you need freon.
If you have a new unit that says r-4-10-a, the shortage will not affect you.
