Guess which industry has done more than any other to help the environment?

The industry is one of the most progressive in improving the efficiency of its products. Air conditioners are as much as three times as efficient as they were 30 years ago. Greater efficiency means lower utility bills for consumers and reduced power plant emissions.

Air conditioning is one of the last All-American industries. Approximately 94% of all air conditioning products sold here are made here. The industry employs 1.5 million.

1. Thanks to the hvac industry, our cities are much cleaner today than they were a century ago.

2. Modern gas and electric heating systems have probably done more than any single advance to clean the air in our cities.

3. The hvac industry is a leader in environmental protection. Long before there was a Montreal Protocol or Kyoto Agreement, the hvac industry voluntarily began to reduce and eliminate the use of ozone damaging CFC's and HFC's.

One of the easiest, most economical, and intelligent things you can do to reduce your home's environmental impact is to tune-up the air conditioner every Spring and to clean/adjust the furnace burners in the Fall. This helps the environment by restoring system efficiency and capacity, which reduces waste and run time. It also cuts utility expenses, reduces the potential for an equipment breakdown, and extends the life of the equipment. More important, the safety inspection can help identify potentially life threatening carbon monoxide leaks from aging equipment. Not only is it smart for the environment, it's smart for your wallet too.

Have your ducts tested for leaks and sealed. Leaky ducts are not only expensive, they reduce comfort levels.

The most significant way you can reduce your home's environmental impact is to purchase one of today's most efficient systems. Replace old, inefficient equipment when you have time to plan. Heating and air conditioning technology has improved dramatically in recent years, both minimizing the industry's environmental impact and energy costs. The most efficient gas furnaces release the least amount of nitrous oxide and other by products of combustion. The most efficient air conditioners and heat pumps use the least electricity, cutting smokestack emissions at generating plants.

Older residential air conditioners use HFC's, which do impact the ozone layer, but far less than the CFC's that are found in household refrigerators. Since your air conditioner is a sealed system and we capture and recycle HFC's from your air conditioner, there is minimal risk that your refrigerants will influence the environment as long as there are no leaks. If your system leaks, it is important to get it repaired or replaced as quickly as possible. Many of the newer air conditioners use a different type of refrigerant that is environmentally neutral.