3 Ways An Ill-Functioning AC Affects The Environment
You have an air conditioner at home that is in need of repair, but if you are like a lot of homeowners, you will put off calling a professional for help until absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, delaying making the call for air conditioning repair can sometimes have detrimental effects on both your repair costs and the surrounding environment. If you are the type of person who tries to be "green" or environmentally friendly, you may have a few added reasons to get an ailing AC repaired as quickly as possible. Here is a look at just a few ways an ill-functioning AC may be hard on the planet.
Some air conditioners may leak refrigerant into the environment.
While not all refrigerants are bad for the environment, some of them definitely are. For example, R-22 refrigerant is actually being phased out by the EPA because it has the potential to generate harm in the natural environment. If you have an AC that is not producing cool air as it normally would, it could potentially be due to a refrigerant leak. It is imperative to get this kind of issue checked out as quickly as possible by a professional.
Ill-functioning ACs pull more energy than necessary to heighten carbon footprints.
Your carbon footprint refers to how much greenhouse gas your actions on a day-to-day basis produce. Naturally, the energy being utilized by you in your home has a lot to do with your proposed carbon footprint. Keeping your carbon footprint small usually involves making direct changes to reduce how much energy gets used solely because of you. If you have an air conditioner that is not properly functioning, it means you are likely utilizing more energy than necessary. An AC with certain issues, such as a poorly operating blower fan, can naturally cause the system to use more energy.
An air conditioner functioning poorly can lead to untimely demise and unnecessary waste.
Well-maintained air conditioners have a longer lifespan for sure, but allowing an AC to go without needed repairs is taxing on the system. Therefore, you could end up having to have the system replaced sooner than you normally would. For example, if your AC keeps freezing, it puts undue stress on the motor, which can mean you have to get full system replacement if the problem is allowed to persist because of the main compressor motor failure. Even though an HVAC company will try to salvage and recycle parts that they can from your old system, some of it will naturally end up in a landfill.