Under the Montreal Protecal, the U.S. Government, thru the E.P.A., set up guidlines and dates for the phasing out of R-22, or "Freon". As of Jan. 1, 2010, manufactures could no longer ship new units with Freon. By 2020, the mandate says that no Freon may be produced. During that 10 year span, the production must be reduced on a yearly basis. This is resulting in a price increase on Freon.
If you have an air conditioner that uses Freon, please take into consideration what the future repair costs may be, vs. installing a new unit that uses R410a, or "Puron".
For more information, you can visit www.epa.gov. Our service technician can explain this in more detail as well, or you can call the office for more information.