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Replacing your old air conditioner with a newer model containing ozone-safe refrigerants could cut your energy use and reduce your carbon dioxide output.

How to choose an ozone-friendly air conditioner

There are some simple do's and dont's to eliminate ozone-depleting emissions from your air conditioner. Follow these guidelines to find an ozone-friendly model:

1. Opt out of R-22 refrigerant air conditioners. R-22, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), has been the most common refrigerant used in air conditioners since chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were phased out in 1995. Although it’s less damaging to the ozone layer than the old CFCs, it still creates holes in the ozone layer when it leaks from A/C units. New air conditioners must be R-22-free by 2010 (although R-22 can be produced after that time to service old machines) and production of R-22 will be phased out completely in the US by 2020.
2. Look for R-410A air conditioners (residential and commercial). R-410A is a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is sold under several trade names, including GENETRON AZ-20®, SUVA 410A®, and Puron®. Although CO₂ is still produced during the manufacture of this substance, it does not produce ozone-depleting gas if allowed to enter the atmosphere. To get even more green points, choose an R-410A model that’s ENERGY STAR qualified.
3. Look for R-134a or R-407C air conditioners (commercial only at this time). The EPA has also approved the use of R-134a and R-407C in commercial cooling systems, both of which are non-depleting refrigerants and are being used in some commercial applications.
4. Avoid used A/C units made with CFCs. Old systems made with CFCs may leak, allowing this potent ozone-depleting gas into the atmosphere, so opt out of used units in favor of buying a new, more energy-efficient and less-polluting cooling system.

Find it! Ozone-friendly air conditioners

Before you buy

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer and think you can just replace the R-22 refrigerant in your existing unit with R-410A refrigerant, think again. New R-410A systems require unique compressors and components specifically designed for use with this new refrigerant. It is recommended that R-410A systems be installed and serviced by companies familiar with these newer units.[1][2]

Buying a new R-410A air conditioner may cost you more than an R-22 unit. However, this cost may become less significant over the lifetime of your new cooling system. As R-22 refrigerant becomes less available, its price tag will increase, making the servicing of old R-22 units quite expensive.

Choosing ozone-friendly air conditioners helps you go green because…

• They don’t harm the earth’s ozone, a protective, UV-filtering atmospheric layer.

The ozone layer protects Earth's inhabitants from harmful UV radiation—a common contributor to skin cancer. In the US, skin cancer is the fastest growing form of cancer. Every hour in the US one person dies from this deadly disease.[3]

Old air conditioners were traditionally made with ozone-depleting CFCs, but were phased out of production in all developed nations in 1996,[4] and replaced with HCFCs, which are 95 percent less potent in terms of ozone depletion. However, since HCFCs still contain chlorine, the main element involved in ozone depletion, they too are being phased out of production in developing countries.[5][6]

Glossary

• chlorofluorocarbon (CFC): A haloalkane compound containing chlorine, primarily used as a refrigerant. When this gaseous compound reaches the stratosphere, UV light liberates the chlorine from the molecule and it is then capable of breaking down up to 100,000 ozone molecules (O3) into O + O2. Freon is a trademarked term referring to CFCs used in refrigeration and cooling systems.
• hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC): A similar haloalkane compound where not all the hydrogen atoms are replaced by a halogen atom. These are typically used to substitute for CFCs, as the ozone-depleting capacity of these compounds is 10 percent less than that of CFCs.[7]
• hydrofluorocarbon (HFC): A refrigerant used in refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners. It does not deplete the ozone layer but still requires careful disposal. It can cause skin and eye irritations, tremors, and other health problems.[8]
• ozone layer: Part of the Earth’s atmosphere, the ozone layer contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O₃).[9] Ozone acts like a blanket that protects the earth from damaging UV radiation, which has been linked to cancer.[3]

External links

• US Department of Energy - How Air Conditioners Work
• ENERGY STAR - A Guide to Energy-Efficient Heating and Cooling
• US Environmental Protection Agency - What You Should Know about Refrigerants When Purchasing or Repairing a Residential A/C System or Heat Pump