A: Yes. The Clean Air Act of 1990 mandated a complete phase-out of R-22 and in 1996 a production cap was placed on its production. In 2004 production of R-22 was cut by 25% and the manufacture of R-22 compatible equipment will be prohibited after 2010. Production of R-22 will be banned completely in 2020. The replacement is a much more environmentally friendly chemical, R-410A. For more information on AC units, visit our air conditioning page.

A: During the summer months, set your thermostat back during the day when you are not at home. We do not recommend that you go over your desired temperature more than five to ten degrees. You may want a programmable thermostat that would automatically change the setting for you once it was programmed. Many people save as much as 30% on their utility bills just by setting the temperature back when no one is at home.

A: S.E.E.R. stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rate. A.F.U.E. stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency and H.S.P.F. stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. These are the most commonly used terms to describe equipment efficiencies. The higher the number, the better.