BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — We're finally getting some sunny and seasonably warm weather in Buffalo, which may have you thinking about how well your air conditioning will be working.
If you're thinking about getting a new AC system for your house, you may find that you'll have to wait longer than you might have expected.
The reason? New federal regulations on the kinds of refrigerants that can be used in AC systems went into effect on January 1.
Now, only equipment that uses certain refrigerants that are considered lower global warming potential than those generally used can be manufactured.
One of those is called R-454B, and it's the kind that's being used in almost all new residential AC systems. But there's now a shortage of the refrigerant.
Brian Ritter, president of Zenner & Ritter Home Services in Buffalo, said that it is going to mean that equipment can't be properly installed until November or December, long past the summer.
His advice is to plan ahead and service your equipment now before it fails, and then make plans to have a new system installed later.
“If you have an existing system and it's working, you don't need to do anything you don't need to change this new refrigerant," Ritter said. "But if you're considering a new system, if you knew your system wasn't working that great last year, be proactive, get out into the market before the things really start to escalate price-wise because that's the effect it's going to have."
The new federal regulations do not impact window AC units. Also, new equipment manufactured before January 1 is exempt, but must be installed before the end of this year.
