Freon is a refrigerant being phased out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This phase-out began in 2020 and will continue until 2030 when all new units will be required to use non-ozone-depleting refrigerants. The good news is that there are several good alternatives to Freon. Here are some of the most popular: R-410A: This is a blend of HFCs that can be used in place of R-22 in a split system air conditioner or heat pump. It is more efficient than its predecessors and has a lower operating temperature range than R-22, making it ideal for hot climates where cooling is needed most often during the day when temperatures reach their peak level. R-134a: This is another HFC blend that can be used as an alternative to R-12 and R-22. While it does have some environmental concerns associated with it, including ozone depletion potential and global warming potential, it does not contain chlorine (which means no chlorine leak hazard) or fluorine (which means no fluorocarbon gas hazards). R422B – It is a blend of two hydrofluorocarbons, R-125, R-134A, and one hydrocarbon, R600A. The primary benefit of using 422B is that it has a lower global warming potential (GWP) than R-22. This means that it has a lower impact on the environment, potentially reducing its contribution to global warming.