EPA: Ban ozone-depleting air conditioners by 2010

The air conditioning industry is getting a breath of fresh air as federal regulations phase out ozone-depleting units from homes and commercial buildings.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is slowly doing away with air conditioners that spout hydrocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer.

The agency, as of 2010, is banning manufacturers from making units with a refrigerant known as R-22, commonly used to cool residential and commercial spaces. The substance, also known as chlorodifluoromethane, or difluoromonochloromethane, spews clouds of hydrocarbons into the air, hurting the ozone and contributing to global warming.

A new generation of more environmentally friendly AC units will be powered by gases such as R-410A, a mixture of difluoromethane and pentafluoroethane - which don't damage the ozone as severely.

Ronald Pento, president of RP Cooling Corp., a Hicksville commercial air conditioning contractor, said the shift will require not only a new substance, but new units.

"The change is a big deal," Pento said. "You couldn't put R-410A in an R-22 system."

Pento said R-410A refrigerant uses higher pressure, so it isn't compatible with R-22 systems. R-22 units typically require 250 pounds to 300 pounds of pressure per inch, he noted, while R-410A units run at around 400 pounds of pressure. This greater stress on the system could lead to briefer useful life and more repairs.

"You can imagine the difference on wear and tear on the equipment," Pento said. "It runs at such high pressure, I think the equipment will have a harder time as it gets older. My opinion is eventually they will find a substitute for R-410A."

Even if R-410A catches on, that doesn't mean people will rush to scrap old units, since it will still be legal to use and repair units with R-22 gas. The EPA will continue to allow R-22 to be produced for existing units until 2020; the agency said the gradual phase-out of R-22 could make the gas more costly, but it doesn't expect any price spikes.

"Consumers should be aware that prices of R-22 may increase as supplies dwindle," according to a written statement by the agency. "EPA believes that consumers are not likely to be subjected to major price increases within a short time period."

The shift to R-410A is just the latest effort to make air conditioners more environmentally friendly. The industry already phased out R-12, which did even more damage to the ozone.

"It's not that you can't get it," Pento said of R-12. "It's so highly taxed that it's not reasonable to use it anymore."

Business for the HVAC industry on Long Island has been lukewarm at best, and Mother Nature hasn't cooperated. "It hasn't been a hot, hot summer," Pento said, noting sizzling summers typically boost sales.

Pento also said the industry faces a shortage of new HVAC technicians, which he attributes to the nature of the work. "Air conditioning is a dirty, hard business," Pento said. "A lot of kids today don't want to do that."

Credit: Claude Solnik