If the summer heat has gotten the best of you, it may be time to invest in an air conditioner. When making your air conditioning purchase, there are environmentally friendly options available. Most air conditioners and heat pumps that are sold around the world use a refrigerant called R-22. Some experts consider emissions of R-22 to be a significant factor in depleting the ozone layer that protects animals and people from harmful rays from the sun.
Families now have the choice to ask for an air-conditioner or heat pump that uses a more efficient and environmentally friendlier refrigerant called 410A or R-410 when buying a new system for their home.
Keeping it Environmental Friendly
If your system ever leaks, the escaping refrigerant won’t contribute to ozone depletion. Because it has no chlorine, R-410A won’t interact with the ozone layer once it breaks down.
The old refrigerant R-22 will be phased out along with other ozone-depleting chemicals. Both supply and demand for this chemical will be significantly affected by current and upcoming regulations.
By selecting an air conditioner or heat pump that uses R-410A, you will avoid the risk associated with purchasing a product that will become obsolete.
Efficient and Reliable
R-410A systems can be more reliable than R-22 systems. R-410A air conditioning and heat pump are today’s “state of the art” systems and use the most current technology available for efficient and reliable operation.
The heart of every air conditioner or heat pump is the compressor. Compressors with R-410A run cooler than R-22 systems, reducing the risk of burnout due to overheating.
All air conditioning systems use an oil that circulates through the inside of the system to keep all of the parts well lubricated, just like the engine of a car. R-22 air conditioners use an oil known as “mineral oil” that has been used for decades.
R-410A air conditioners use newer synthetic lubricants that are usually more soluble than the mineral oils used by the older R-22 refrigerants. As a result, the synthetic lubricants reduce wear and extending the life of the air conditioner .
Also, synthetic oils are unlikely to fail under high stress and heat. The new synthetic oils used in R-410A air conditioners will stand up in extreme conditions.
The R-410A Advantage
The R-410A offers some wonderful advantages, but it requires the manufacturers to redesign their products to take advantage of its properties.
R-410A captures heat and releases it better than the R-22. Manufacturers found that they needed fewer refrigerants in an R-410A air conditioner than they did in an R-22 air conditioner. Because there’s fewer refrigerants, they needed less copper tubing and could use a smaller compressor.
The only downside was that R-410A couldn’t be used in air conditioners that were made to use R-22; however, the advantages of new air conditioners were too great to pass up.
Now that you’ve read out guide on air conditioners, it is clear that using the R-410A is more efficient, reliable, and may even be less costly than the R-22. You can do your own research and compare the SEER or EER ratings and the ENERGY STAR ratings just to be sure.