EPA rules will increase air conditioning system prices

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – New regulations mean air conditioning systems will become more expensive.

The Environmental Protection Agency will begin rolling out new regulations next year that aim to make HVAC systems more environmentally friendly.

The air conditioning units are undergoing a facelift but will still look similar to the current ones.

What’s new is chemicals used to cool the air, resulting in a cleaner environment and a lighter wallet.

PJ Kalb is a sales manager at Colony Heating and Air. He said people looking to buy a new air conditioning system next year might be in for a surprise.

“It will probably cost $2,000 to $5,000 more than you’re paying for the system now,” Kalb said.

This large price increase is due to new EPA regulations that assume that starting next year, new HVAC systems will be manufactured using a more environmentally friendly refrigerant.

This means HVAC manufacturers must change the way they produce their systems, which means more new parts and more money.

“The bottom line is that the manufacturer has to bear the higher costs of implementing these changes and of course these costs are passed on to subsequent users,” Kalb said.

Colony has a warehouse full of up-to-date HVAC systems in preparation for new regulations.

Kalb said that in the future, as manufacturers shift to producing new systems, it will become more difficult for them to repair old HVAC systems without having to replace them entirely.

“People who have 10- or 12-year-old equipment that’s broken, the compressor’s broken or something like that, or they can’t get parts for it, are now forced to buy it and they’re charging an extra 10 to 15 percent,” Kalb said.

Kalb said if you are thinking about buying a new system or need a replacement, it may be cheaper to do it sooner rather than later.