How much does R-22 Freon cost?

What it costs, and what the alternative costs

Both figures come from Angi, quoted by This Old House.

Our arithmetic, marked as ours. At the midpoints, roughly $65 against $18.50, Freon is about three and a half times the price. At the extremes the gap runs from twice to more than six times.

That is the number that decides the question on this page, and it gets wider every year, because supply is fixed and falling.

Why it costs that

Freon is a brand name for HCFC-22, also written R-22. This Old House sets out the position plainly:

As of January 2020, the production and import of Freon in the U.S. is completely banned. However, existing stocks of Freon can still be used to service older air conditioning units.

So nothing was confiscated and nothing has to be replaced. What was banned was making any more of it. Everything in circulation is what is left, which is why the price behaves the way it does.

The reason is the ozone layer: as Freon breaks down it releases chlorine, which depletes the ozone and lets more ultraviolet radiation through.

What a recharge actually costs you

The per-pound price is not the bill. The published figures for the job are:

Neither distinguishes between Freon and modern refrigerant in that figure. Our reading, marked as ours: on a system still running R-22 we would expect to be at the top of those ranges or above them, because the material alone is three to six times dearer.

And then the sentence that matters more than any price here, from Fixr:

An AC unit should never need a refrigerant refill. The only time it's necessary is after a leak is fixed or when a major repair, such as replacing the compressor, requires the system to be opened.

Our conclusion: if an older system needs Freon, it has a leak, and the leak is the repair. Fixr prices that at $200 to $1,500. Our AC not cooling page works through the same logic for the broader symptom.

How to tell whether this is even your problem

This Old House gives two checks, and they cost nothing:

1. Read the label on the outdoor condenser. Look for "HCFC-22" or "R-22".
2. Count the years. If the system is less than 14 years old, it likely does not use Freon.

Our note: the second check is a rule of thumb and the label is the fact. If the unit is on the boundary, read the plate rather than counting.

Can it be converted

Mostly no. This Old House: most Freon-based systems are not compatible with new refrigerants unless modified significantly, because the pressure requirements and lubricants differ.

Our reading, marked as ours. That is the practical end of the retrofit question for most households. A "drop-in" conversion offered on an old system deserves a written explanation of what is being changed, because the publisher's position is that the equipment was not built for it.

The arithmetic that usually ends the conversation

This Old House notes that the average life of a central air system is 15 to 20 years, and that a system still running R-22 is likely near the end of it. Our lifespan page collects what every source in this section says about that.

Our arithmetic, marked as ours. Production stopped in January 2020. A system that was charged with R-22 when it was installed is therefore at least six years old today, and in practice considerably older, because equipment was being sold with newer refrigerants well before the ban. On a 15 to 20 year life, an R-22 system is most of the way through it.

That does not make replacement automatic. It does mean the honest comparison is not "recharge against leak repair" but "recharge against a replacement you will be making soon anyway". Our central air page has what that costs from two publishers.

This Old House lists the conditions under which it would replace rather than repair:

• the system is more than 15 years old
• frequent repairs or high energy bills
• it uses Freon and needs a significant recharge
• you want better efficiency

Our note: the third condition is this page in one line.

Before you agree to a recharge

1. Check the label first. R-22 or not changes the price of everything that follows.
2. Ask how many pounds. At $50 to $80 each, the quantity is the bill, and it should be on the invoice.
3. Ask where it went. A sealed system does not consume refrigerant, on Fixr's own words.
4. Ask for the leak repair price alongside, at $200 to $1,500, before agreeing to a refill.
5. Ask the unit's age. Over 15 years with an R-22 charge is the case This Old House names for replacing rather than repairing.