Split Systems

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Most site built homes have split systems which consist of an air handler inside the home generally in the garage, attic or a closet and a condenser outside on a slab. The two pieces of equipment are connected by two copper line-sets one of which is the liquid line set and the other is suction, this is because the refrigeant through the refrigeration cycle changed from a gas to a liquid and back again.
On December 31, 2009 all equipment manufacturers had to stop producing equipment with R-22 for environmental reasons, the new refrigerant is called 410a and is a blended refrigerant is supposedly less damaging to the environement. Unfortunately the two refrigerants aren;t compatible and if they meet can lead to severe equipment damage and costly repairs.
When purchasing a new split system the #1 way to guarantee that the two refrigerants do not meet is to have the copper line-sets changed. Unfortunately with the value of the dollar going down all semi-prescious metals have risen in price meaning that a roll of copper that cost $30 8 years ago cost in excess of $100 today.
The other option when converting from R-22 to 410a systems is to use a certified refrigerant flush, these flushes when used as directed are almost as good as changing the copper and they don't cost as much. If a company suggests flushing the copper tubing with Nitrogen to save money kick them out of your home as fast as you can because although the system will initially work it will cause you nothing but trouble.
On top of the refrigerant changes there are so many more advances in the field such as Variable Speed Air Handlers. These new air handlers have motors that run on multiple speeds that result in lower electric bills and less humidity in the home, as much as 40% less humidity. Perhaps with your old system you had to keep the air at 73 otherwise it got sticky with these new handlers you can potentially set the thermostat up to 78 and feel comfortable. How they work is they start out on a slow mode and run for a longer period of time, but because they are running so slow they use very little electric, but remove huge amounts of humidity, then as they continue in their cycle they rev up and at the end of the cycle they push all of the cool air out of the duct system. These air handlers work best with a specialized thermostat, either the Honeywell 8000 or IAQ 9000 or if purchasing a Trane product then a XL 900 thermostat, these thermostats have the capability of overiding the temperature setting if the humidity goes above the humidity setting; these thermostats are a great investment for snowbirds too even if they don't need a new system, but are concerned about mold.
The new high end condensers have two compressors one of which is smaller so that it can run on the smaller condenser on the not so hot days and save money, but when the temps rise the larger compressor will kick in to keep the home comfortable. The biggest complaint that we hear about these systems is that they run almost all the time, but because of the technology changes they keep you more comfortable and your heating and cooling costs actually go down, saving you money and getting you a better return on your investment!