We can answer this question in two simple responses:
Homeowners often ask this question about refrigerant because of a basic misunderstanding about what refrigerant is and what it does. We’re going to go into more detail to address the question because it helps people grasp how air conditioning systems work, and because it can help alert to a serious AC repair issue.
You expect to pay more on your electrical bills during the height of summer because you have to run the air conditioning system during most days. The compressor in the AC—the heart of the system that is responsible for starting the cooling cycle—draws on large amounts of electricity when it runs.
However, have you noticed that your electrical bills this summer seem, well, much higher than normal? More than you would expect based on how much you use the air conditioner? Inflated utility bills are often warnings that there’s a problem in the HVAC system placing excess stress on the air conditioner. The issue may be inside the AC, but many people don’t realize the source could be in the ductwork.
The summer has started, and you’ve made the discovery that your old air conditioner is not getting the job done. Time for it to retire to the scrap heap. What should you have installed in its place?
“That’s kind of a silly question,” you say. “Another central air conditioner, of course!”
We’re not arguing that you don’t need a new air conditioner for your house. But there’s an option for air conditioning that comes with heating as well. It’s not the standard combination of an air conditioner and a furnace, which is what you probably already have. It’s a single unit called a heat pump, and it’s an air conditioner that can switch how it works so instead of moving heat out of your home, it moves heat into the home.
