In the last column we discussed that air conditioning is not about creating coolness. It is the process of moving heat from one area to another through the use of refrigerants. Originally they were called "Freon" which is a trade name and has stuck in everybody's mind even to this day.

Original Freon or R-22 is still available if desired, and units coming in with it are considerably cheaper than new replacements coming out. It depletes ozone to a very small degree as it contains chlorine atoms. R-22 is an excellent refrigerant other than its small ozone depletion rating. It will still be available for some time, and after its eventual phase out, drop in refrigerants will still be available. These new refrigerants (available now) will continue to allow older units to be repaired, and continue to run.

The new refrigerants namely R-410A also known as Puron is slowly replacing the older R-22 refrigerants.

It requires more knowledge to handle as it operates at a much higher pressure, and injury to people can easily happen if carelessly handled.

Because these new refrigerants have excellent heat transfer rates, the new Lennox units offer a smaller cabinet, with very quiet cabinets resulting in some of the most efficient and quiet A/C units available on the market.

The new Lennox HSX-19 offers remarkable performance at 19 Seer along with db rating of 67 db. Such performance is desired for larger homes with higher cooling costs or where the unit is close to the back door where noise is a problem

The new refrigerants being chlorine free in their makeup do not harm the ozone layer even if the unit accidentally leaks some because of malfunction. Because A/C also dehumidifies your home, a long hot spell will seem much easier to take with a new unit.

Also, we are getting a lot of people looking to upgrade from older inefficient A/C units to high efficiency units on the market today, as a lot of the original work is done switching to a new unit is not as expensive and the quietness and operating savings can be quite dramatic. With the exception of the Lennox 10ACC model, all models come with a 10/5/5 warranty, giving you 10 year component, 5 year parts & service warranty, making them one of the best values on the market today.