How Your Air Conditioner Works
Your air conditioner keeps your home comfortable by moving heat from inside to outside — similar to how a refrigerator works.
Inside the system are two main components:
Indoor Unit (Evaporator Coil): This coil becomes cold as refrigerant passes through it, cooling the air that’s blown into your home.
Outdoor Unit (Condenser Coil): This coil releases the heat that’s been removed from indoors.
A compressor pumps refrigerant between these two coils. Inside, the refrigerant absorbs heat and turns into a gas. It then travels outdoors, where it releases that heat and returns to a liquid form — ready to start the process again.
About Refrigerants
Refrigerant is the special fluid that allows the system to transfer heat efficiently.
Older systems (before the mid-1990s) used chemicals known as CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), which were later phased out because they harmed the ozone layer.
Today’s air conditioners use modern, environmentally safer refrigerants such as HCFCs and HFCs, which are gradually being replaced with next-generation refrigerants that are even more sustainable.
By 2030, older refrigerants will be fully phased out as part of a global effort to reduce environmental impact and support a cleaner future.