When installing a new Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, one of the most important factors to consider is the cost of the unit over its lifespan. It is likely that over the 20-year life of an HVAC system, the energy costs for running it will be the overriding factor for how much money is actually spent on the system. Costs for having it serviced are something else to add into this equation, and there is now a special consideration to take into account: HVAC refrigerant. For your heating and air conditioning needs, you should consider installing a newer heat pump that is both energy efficient and uses a newer, more sustainable refrigerant.
Because of the 1990 Clean Air Act, the type of refrigerant used in most HVAC systems in operation today has to be phased out by the year 2010. This means that if you purchase a system that uses the old type CFC or HCFC refrigerant, it could become very expensive to have it recharged. The type of refrigerant it needs won't be readily available after 2010.
To meet these needs, Carrier has developed a new type of refrigerant for HVAC systems, called Puron, that has not been banned by the Clean Air Act. Puron is incompatible with the old type of refrigerant, so you can not just fill up your old HVAC system with it. Any new system that uses Puron will continue to be serviceable after 2010, so you may wish to consider having one of these new systems installed. Other manufacturers have developed similar refrigerants. They all fall under the term R410A.
Fortunately, these are also among the most energy efficient systems available today. The measure of how energy efficient an air conditioner or heat pump is for cooling is the SEER, short for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. A measurement called HSPF, or Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, is used to measure the heating efficiency for heat pumps. These new HVAC systems have a SEER of up to 19 and an HSPF as high as 9.5.
By having one of these new types of heat pumps installed, the overall cost will be potentially lower over the life of the system. It is energy efficient and it uses the more environmentally friendly Puron refrigerant, so it will continue to be serviceable. As a bonus, the new, Puron-using systems will easily quality for the tax incentive that is now offered by the U.S. government for installing energy efficient systems.
If you have an older system that is less energy efficient and still uses the discontinued refrigerant, it could actually be more expensive for you to keep it than to replace it. Installing a system that uses the new Carrier HVAC refrigerant is a good alternative to the expanding maintenance costs of older systems. A quality HVAC dealer near you will be able to help you determine if this is a good solution for your home, and they can also help you figure out if you can actually save money by having your old HVAC system replaced.
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