Goettl Air conditioning unit

By Ken Goodrich as featured in The Arizona Republic 8/26/2017

 

Why is the cost to recharge your AC unit going up?

By 2020, Arizona air-conditioning users will be forced to find new sources of refrigerant to recharge their systems as R22, a popular Freon now in use, will be phased out by order of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA believes R22 harms the ozone layer and its use will be banned forever in January 2020. There are other types of less harmful refrigerants that will replace R22, but homeowners today need to make informed decisions when servicing and replacing their AC units.

Here are some common questions:

I keep hearing about R22. What is it and how does it impact air-conditioning in my home? R22 is a type of Freon refrigerant that helps your air conditioning produce cool air. The EPA has determined R22 harms the ozone layer and has ordered it to be phased out of use by 2020. Once this happens, R22 will no longer be produced or imported and will be replaced with R-410A. Air-conditioning manufacturers stopped production of R22-charged systems in 2010.

Why is the EPA phasing out R22? Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs, are chemicals that are mainly used as refrigerants. Unfortunately, the EPA has found the releases of HCFCs can deplete the Earth’s protective ozone layer and contribute to climate change.

What should I do? Do I need to replace my AC unit? No, you don’t have to replace your AC system at this time. You can continue to use R22 in existing systems, however, it will be available only from older systems that have been recycled, reclaimed or recovered. Lower supply of R22 is already resulting in much higher costs to recharge AC systems, and there will be no guarantee that R22 will be available in the future. In fact, R22 costs 10 times what it did five years ago. According to the EPA, “as a homeowner, you need to consider and balance several key factors in your decision to purchase a new unit, such as energy efficiency, performance, reliability, cost and the refrigerant used.”

Should I buy a new unit now or wait until 2020? It really depends. You’ll need to balance the age of your system with cost benefits realized from new systems. New, energy-efficient air-conditioners save on energy costs. Even if your air conditioner is less than 10 years old, you may save significantly on your energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model, according to the EPA.

How do I know what kind of AC unit I should consider buying? A central air-conditioner that has earned the ENERGY STAR label is at least 14 percent more efficient and will save you money. Ken Goodrich is owner and CEO of Goettl Air Conditioning.

Testimonials

What Our Customers Say About Us

Arthur FortesArthur Fortes
17:47 06 Dec 23
Michael was great and explained everything clearly!!
Lawrence PeteLawrence Pete
17:38 06 Dec 23
Very thorough performing service give customers more options to decide...no pressure he worked on the HVAC system
B SimonB Simon
17:11 06 Dec 23
Ralph. Came out on time. Very professional, knowledgeable. Did excellent work
Jennifer WebbJennifer Webb
23:48 05 Dec 23
Friendly fast service. Matthew was very pleasant, did a systems check and showed and explained everything that was needed with suggestions and prices.
Denise TamezDenise Tamez
23:03 05 Dec 23
Ralph did an excellent job! Thank you for the wonderful service!
Ernest RodriguezErnest Rodriguez
18:23 04 Dec 23
Carl JacksonCarl Jackson
15:00 04 Dec 23
The work was very professional & neat , I was very surprised about the quality of workmanship. The crew was very knowledgeable & very respectful while working. I would recommend Goettl plumbing to anyone with the great job they have done….
Cheryl SkatesCheryl Skates
22:54 03 Dec 23
Did a great job servicing are unit. Answered all our questions.
Diane WainnerrDiane Wainnerr
01:32 03 Dec 23
I was very pleased with Goettl Plumbing/AC company . Joseph came out and was excellent at explaining the issues that were going on with our pipes & then did a great job fixing the issues. Thanks, Goettl!
Rafiu BabatundeRafiu Babatunde
18:22 28 Nov 23
Catherine BowlesCatherine Bowles
17:21 28 Nov 23
was very helpful and professional 👏
Rachel RamosRachel Ramos
16:55 28 Nov 23
Tyler Leija was very thorough and explained everything carefully about our plumbing issues. I’m glad we called Goettl.. Thank You!
G force9299G force9299
15:32 28 Nov 23
William and Peter were amazing! Although Peter is in training, you would not have known if he didn't tell you. Services provided were top notch! Thank you!!!
Linda ClaytonLinda Clayton
22:25 25 Nov 23
Frank M is fabulous! Great service!Sam is wonderful. I would like them to send him every time. Great service. On time. Expert knowledge. Highly recommend!
Scott MillerScott Miller
00:41 25 Nov 23
Great job and fast response. Tyler did a great job.
J NevilJ Nevil
00:34 25 Nov 23
Roger came out on Thanksgiving Day to fix our unit. Turns out, our home builder completely shorted us on the amount of blown-in attic insulation (which you think a home inspector would have caught) and also our unit is too small for our house which is 4 years old. Roger took the time to explain all of this to us in detail and got our unit up and running. Thank you Roger!
Rosalyn DouglasRosalyn Douglas
22:37 24 Nov 23
Michael was very professional and polite. Got the job done in a timely manner installing the sensors.
Michael SchmidtMichael Schmidt
22:10 24 Nov 23
Joseph was professional, friendly, and very thorough. He answered all of our questions and gave us a detailed explanation of what the problem was and why it occurs.
Joel RuizJoel Ruiz
16:02 20 Nov 23
Ralph did a great job, was on time and explained everything very clearly.
Sunshines BuggySunshines Buggy
01:26 20 Nov 23
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