Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Month: August 2019

Replacing Your Air Conditioner

In our previous blog post, we filled you in about the R-22 phaseout that is looming on the very near horizon. Check that out here if you haven’t already (or if you’re just ready for a refresher before today’s post). This phaseout obviously has implications for homeowners thinking about repairing old air conditioners, whether it makes more sense to just replace now, etc. Our focus today is why you shouldn’t view a potential air conditioning replacement as a burden.

Giving your air conditioning in Loveland, CO, a fresh start is a great way to reap a number of different benefits. Of course, your overall satisfaction with your new air conditioning system is going to depend largely on the quality of the air conditioning replacement itself. Even a great air conditioner can come up short if it is not installed by skilled, trained professionals.  That is why you want to work with the technicians on our team, every step of the way.

Improve Your Overall Comfort

My air conditioner may be old, but hey—it’s still getting the job done. We hear this a lot, and we know that there are plenty of old ACs out there still doing their thing. The question is—how well are they doing it?

It’s something that we all fall into. My car still gets me from point A to point B. My computer still boots up. I have to brew a pot of coffee while I wait for it to finish, but it happens eventually. And my AC takes a little longer to cool the house down, but I’ve got the time. What many homeowners are surprised to discover once they have replaced their ACs is just how much better the new system performs. If the phaseout has you thinking about a replacement, it’s worth considering the better cooling experience you’re likely to enjoy.

Take Advantage of New Technology…

Inverter air conditioners. Heat pumps. Ductless cooling. Smart thermostats. I don’t need all the hokey gimmicks, you may be thinking, I just want to cool my home! We understand your hesitance, but we’re not talking about shelling out a thousand bucks for a new phone that has 1 megapixel more than your model from last year does. We’re talking about real advancements in technology that help today’s air conditioners to function at higher levels than ever before.

Does this mean that you can’t opt for a relatively bare-bones AC replacement? Of course not. It does mean that you can view your replacement as an opportunity to improve on what came before, though. You can customize your comfort with more versatile equipment without straying off into the realm of gimmickry when you take the time to explore your AC replacement options.

..and the Efficiency It Brings

If you want to pay less for more comfort, and we don’t know why you wouldn’t, then there is no getting around the fact that upgrading your old air conditioning system is the most effective way to go. Yes, it may be a pretty major expense upfront. When you consider the returns you’ll be getting on that investment for years to come, though, it’s clear to see that this boost in energy efficiency is well worth the initial price tag.

Schedule your AC replacement with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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R-22 Refrigerant Phaseout

If you are looking for a new air conditioning installation or replavcement in Loveland, CO, then this is a post that you really need to read. Chances are that, if you’ve been shopping around for new systems, you’ve come across some variation of the phrase “R-22 phaseout,” and likely tied to the date of “January 1st, 2020.” Make no mistake about it—this phaseout is a major shakeup for the HVAC industry!

In today’s post, we’ll talk about what R-22 refrigerant is, why your system is so dependent upon refrigerant, and the wider implications of this phaseout. Again, this really is big news and will have far-reaching effects throughout the industry, so definitely contact a member of our team with any questions that you may have. As a homeowner that values your comfort, you’ll want to have a basic understanding of the issue and how it may affect you and your home.

First, What Does Refrigerant Do?

Basically, it allows you to cool your home! Air conditioners cool homes by removing heat from them. To do so, they evaporate refrigerant indoors to remove heat from the air inside. They then condense refrigerant in the air outside in order to release the heat that the refrigerant absorbed inside. The cycle continues until desired temperatures are met.

What Is R-22 Refrigerant?

R-22 was the industry standard for refrigerant up until very recently. If you’ve ever used an air conditioner in your lifetime up until very recently,  then you’ve used R-22 even if you didn’t realize it. R-22 is commonly referred to as Freon, though this is really an umbrella term only specific to R-22.

Why the Phaseout?

R-22 is being phased out due to environmental factors. Specifically, R-22 is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerant, and is a contributing factor to ozone depletion. Following the phaseout, R-410A will be the new industry standard. This is a more environmentally-friendly refrigerant, and is already used in many newer air conditioning and heat pump systems.

What Does This Mean for Me?

If you have an air conditioning system using R-22 to cool your home, don’t worry—no one is going to tell you that you have to replace that system right now. However, you do need to know that, come the phaseout date, there is a ban on the production and import of R-22 refrigerant. That means that any repairs requiring the correction of your system’s refrigerant charge will be dependent upon existing stockpiles of R-22.

Because production of the refrigerant will cease, prices are likely to go up. That means that now is a great time to make the switch to an R-410A system. If you are thinking about replacing your system anyway, then you definitely want to avoid R-22 systems. If you have a major repair coming up that you’re on the fence about, we’d advise that you really consider replacing the old system with a new model using the new standard refrigerant.

If your air conditioner is working just fine, however, then you don’t have to worry about replacing it now. Just keep in mind that, if you do run into issues in the future, the supply of R-22 may be limited and replacement is likely going to be in your best interest.

Schedule your AC services with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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