April 2006

Who Needs an Ozone Friendly R-22 Replacement….Today?

You Might Be Surprised!
April 2006

If you are a regular R-22 user you have seen the price skyrocket over the last 16-18 months. Some experts are now estimating that by mid summer ’06 the contractor price could exceed $4.00 per lb. In 2010 the Clean Air Act Amendment requires that all production and consumption of HCFCs be cut by 65%. The price of R-22 will continue to increase as we near this critical stage of its phase out. But even though R-22 is more expensive today than ever before, to some the price of an “ozone friendly” replacement is even less appealing. That is sure to change in just a few short years, and when the price of R-22 exceeds the price of the replacements, cost conscious equipment owners and their contractors will be scrambling for an alternative.

Even though “today” the ozone friendly replacements lack in price appeal, many in our industry understand the challenges ahead, and more importantly, see the opportunities that will develop from R-22’s demise and are getting ahead of the curve. In fact, contractors from coast to coast are doing more to educate themselves on the different ozone safe refrigerants available, how safe and practical they are to use, and how to market them to their customers. And to much surprise, many have discovered there are, in fact, a large number of environmentally conscious equipment owners willing to pay a premium to have an ozone friendly option…today!

Another major market for ozone friendly replacements has developed in the commercial/industrial area of the industry and is fueled by companies that have drawn unfavorable attention from EPA, and those companies who are trying to avoid the same dilemma. Note: The EPA has levied fines on companies for Clean Air Act infractions that range from a few thousand dollars, to over five million dollars. These large refrigerant users have determined that converting their systems today can drastically reduce their liabilities tomorrow and keeping them ahead of the curve.

And finally, there are a growing number of companies who wish to project a more positive environmental image to their customers and industry partners. These companies are implementing their own “in house” environmental policies, and or certifying themselves to new industry standards such as ISO 14001. These policies are on a time table that is far ahead of the Clean Air Act and requires the conversion of existing equipment to an ozone friendly refrigerant, or replacing the equipment with a completely new ozone friendly system.

Now that we have identified a few areas of opportunity that exist for ozone friendly refrigerants, what are the most practical products available?

Archive Articles
- March 2006
- April 2006
- AHR Expo 2006
- David Callender Joins ICOR Tech Support
- First Edition - Newsletter
- Archive - 10-Year Service Award
- New R-22 Replacement
- ICOR Broadens NU-22B Application Range
- "The Future of A/C Refrigerants"
- ICOR Appoints New Reg. Business Director

•   Home
•  About ICOR
•  Tech-2-Tech
•  Get Ahead of the Curve
•  Case Studies
•  Industry Update
•  Press Releases
•  Testimonials
•  Technical Articles
•  Industry Links
•  ICOR News
•  Refri-Claim™ Service Division
• The Curve Blog

• Overview
•  At Home
•  Facility

• Distributor Search
•  Order Tracking
•  Special Offers
•  Contact Us