R-22 refrigerant is a previous generation coolant that used to be the most common coolant in North American heat pumps and air conditioners. Today, R-22 is being phased out in favor of new products that are less damaging to the ozone layer. However, there are still many HVAC systems that rely on R-22. If your home system still does, can you get a new heat pump and still use R-22?
The Shortest Answer
Maybe. Which isn't that helpful of an answer, but, yeah, using R-22 in an energy efficient heat pump is not impossible.The Much Longer and More Useful Answer
Okay, here's how this works. An air conditioning system like an energy efficient heat pump uses a refrigerant fluid to move heat in and out of your home. Essentially, the heat is trapped in the refrigerant, then shifted about like the mail at Christmas. What's important to bear in mind is that not all refrigerants are created equal. For example, take R-22 refrigerant. There's not significant difference in how a system using R-22 or a different coolant will make your home feel. However, different refrigerants must be pressurized in the coil at different rates. A coil not strong enough to handle a particular refrigerant should not use it. Likewise, you should not try to use a condenser coil with one refrigerant and an evaporator coil with another in the same system. Down that road waits terrible disaster. All that said, there are still heat pumps made that can handle R-22.