A man looks under the hood of a car. (Courtesy CAR program)
A young woman in California spent three years driving around without a working air conditioner. She was disabled, on a limited income and the primary caretaker of her elderly mother with Alzheimer’s.
This was the exact case Nathan Perrine, executive director of the council that manages the Cool Air Rebate program, sought to help. Launching the CAR program led to helping nearly 11,000 Californians in need and funding $4 million in repairs over 16 months.
Perrine said the young woman stood out in his mind as a case that truly mattered. “It removed a big source of frustration, a big obstacle in her life … it really benefited a family that needed it,” Perrine said.
The program works with more than 350 local automotive repair shops to cover up to 90% of the cost of repairing a leaky refrigerant system. With 18 participating shops in San Diego, residents can apply for the program online.
The requirements for acceptance include an income cap and a vehicle that is leaking R-134a refrigerant.
R-134a is a common automotive refrigerant, which entirely funds the program by using unclaimed deposits from sales. At local shops, Perrine encourages businesses to get involved.
“If you’re a shop owner, this is an opportunity … to be part of the community and to offer a program to help your customers solve some problems,” Perrine said.
By fixing these leaky units, the program attacks two problems at once. It helps keep California cool and comfortable, and pushes to improve the air quality. The refrigerant contains a greenhouse gas that can trap 1,400 times more heat in the atmosphere than an equal amount of carbon dioxide.
According to Perrine, these repairs prevented the release of more than 605 pounds of R-134a, which is comparable to the CO2 emissions of 87 cars over a year.
“It’s not just safe for consumers and their families to have a comfortable ride,” Perrine said. “There’s a real air quality benefit to this.”
READ NEXT