Determine the refrigerant used
How do you know if your home’s central air conditioner or heat pump contains R-22? Homeowners can easily check their equipment. The refrigerant is usually identified by a nameplate on the air conditioning unit. If a nameplate is not provided, you could check your owner’s manual for the information. Also, if you know the manufacturer and the model number of the unit, you could call the manufacturer directly or check its website.


Owning an air conditioner that requires R-22 refrigerant after 2010
You may continue to have your equipment containing R-22 refrigerant serviced after 2010. Keep in mind, after 2010 only a limited amount of new R-22 refrigerant will be produced to meet the servicing needs of equipment manufactured on or before Dec. 31, 2009. After Jan. 1, 2020, production of R-22 will be prohibited and only recovered, recycled or reclaimed supplies of R-22 will be available for servicing existing equipment.


Alternative Refrigerants
The EPA has identified a list of acceptable alternatives to R-22 that do not harm the ozone layer that homeowners can use in their equipment. The EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program is a list of acceptable substitutes. R-410A, an HFC refrigerant blend, is the most common and does not harm the ozone layer. Not all of these refrigerants are considered retrofit alternatives for R-22 air conditioning systems.