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<h2 class="widget__headline custom-post-headline">How your air conditioner plays catch-up to regulations</h2>
Environmental rules, like any regulation, upend industries and business behavior in obscure ways. Ultimately, however, like atax they usually leave consumers on the hook for the costs. I know because I'm one of them.
Why it matters to most of you: Nearly 90% of U.S. homes have air conditioners. If a technician encourages you to replace your A/C because of environmental rules, don't take the bait without first getting a second (and maybe a third) opinion.
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Refrigerant 101: Refrigerants enable air conditioners to keep homes cool. There's three kinds to know that regulations are affecting.
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<li>Most air conditioners installed before 2010 use refrigerants that deplete the Earth's ozone layer. In industry talk, it's called Freon R22.</li>
<li>Most newer air conditioners use refrigerants that don't hurt the ozone layer but do contribute to climate change because they emit greenhouse gases.</li>
<li>The air-conditioning industry is researching refrigerants that are friendly to both the ozone layer and climate change, which could be on the market in the next few years. The drawback: They're mildly flammable.</li>
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There's more to the story.....
