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  • Go Green: Air Conditioning 
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    Reported by: Katrina Irwin

    Thursday, Jun 18, 2009 @11:08am EDT

    The hot summer weather is approaching next week and that means your air conditioner will soon be cranking out the cold.  But some changes are coming in the air conditioning industry that are meant to help the environment.

    Starting in 2010, all air conditioners sold will be R-410,  It's better than the R-22 model you probably have in your home. 

    "For the last 40 years, manufacturers have made air conditioning and heat pump equipment using r22 this has been the standard for many years and the bulk of the equipment that is out there in the field has this type of refrigerant in it," says Mark Hoffman, President and Founder of Airquip Heating and Air Conditioning.
    The problem? R22 contains a chemical that is bad for the ozone layer.  "The chemical make-up of r22 has a chlorine molecule in it and that chlorine molecule when released to the atmosphere goes into the upper atmosphere and breaks down the ozone and that's the major problem with it," says Hoffmann.

    The new models don't have that chemical. Airquip has been installing them for the past several years.

    And the federal government is helping homeowners make the switch.


    "The federal government actually has some tax credits in effect that are helping consumers purchase higher efficient equipment. So as consumer we can help cut down on greenhouse gas effect by consuming less electricity," Hoffmann adds.

    If you do decide to upgrade, don't forget to recycle the old one. Airquip takes the older models back to their warehouse and breaks them down to re-use the parts.  If you aren't ready to buy a new air conditioner, there are some things you can do to yours to make it run more efficiently.

    For more informationo on how to make your air conditioner more energy efficient click     here

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