These days, it's perhaps more important than ever to maximize the efficiency of your home's HVAC system.
Not only for the money you save on energy bills…
But also for your home's impact on the environment.
Air conditioning has had a long and, well, complicated history with the environment.
The main character of that history?
The ozone depleting substances used in the AC systems of bygone days.
A long time ago, in a galaxy not too far away, air conditioners and refrigerators required CFC molecules to operate.
In the 1970s, scientists discovered that CFC molecules were having a dastardly effect on our atmosphere.
It was shown that these molecules were stable enough to enter the earth’s atmosphere, where UV radiation breaks them down and turns them into chlorine.
It was then shown that chlorine wreaks havoc on the ozone layer, the destruction of which would spell out certain death for all life on earth…
Pretty dramatic, right?
The leaders of the world at the time thought so too.
So they came up with something called the Montreal Protocol.
This was a piece of international legislation that banned the use of over 100 ozone depleting substances, including CFCs.
It was first passed in 1987, and, since then, the massive hole in the ozone layer has been gradually closing.
In the meantime, we have found other ways to provide efficient air conditioning, without destroying the environment.
So you don't need to worry about cranking the cooling this summer – but, of course, if you should turn on your unit and something seems amiss, we encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible :)
