What Kind of Freon Is in a House A/C?

Freon in Home Air Conditioners: CFCs

• The original Freon product that was made in 1930 was in a class of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. After decades of use in air conditioners and other applications, scientists learned that CFCs were leading to the destruction of the Earth's protective ozone layer. In an agreement known as the Montreal Protocol, the world's developed nations agreed to phase out production of CFCs by 1996. Only home air conditioners manufactured before that year and not since retrofitted still use the original Freon formula.

Freon in Home Air Conditioners: HCFCs

• After CFCs were banned, DuPont began selling a version of Freon made from a class of chemicals called hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs. The Freon in modern home air conditioners is now usually the formulation DuPont calls Freon-22 Refrigerant, or R-22, an HCFC which still contributes to ozone depletion and global warming. An amendment to the Montreal Protocol has mandated no HCFCs in any new air conditioners made since 2010, though it can be used to service existing equipment until 2020.

Suva in Home Air Conditioners: HFCs

• DuPont, as of 2011, was still making Freon, including the R-22 formula common in home air conditioners. In preparation for the complete phaseout of HCFCs, it has introduced a new refrigerant that will no longer bear the trade name of Freon. DuPont's Suva is in a class of chemicals called hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, products like Suva pose no threat to the ozone layer, although they are implicated in global warming.

Implications for the Home Air Conditioner Consumer

• Thanks to the environmentally protective regulations agreed to internationally by developed nations in the Montreal Protocol, anyone in the market for a new or used air conditioner or central air system must keep in mind that equipment designed for Freon products like R-22 will not be serviceable with new Freon after 2020. DuPont's entry into the home air conditioner market in the HFC era is called Suva 410A, but other companies market similar formulas under names like Puron and Forane. The Freon age is in its last days.