With adequate upkeep, your air conditioner will deliver worry-free cooling for years. But, just like any other appliance in your home, it will at some point need to be updated. Knowing when to replace it is important to prevent pricey repairs, expensive energy bills and interruptions to your comfort.

When it involves being cool and your home’s energy efficiency, our House of Heating Incorporated professionals have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into deciding when your air conditioner requires replacement. Here are a few points you should consider when you’re thinking about updating your 15-year-old air conditioner.

Age

Typically, the Department of Energy says the majority of air conditioners work for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the center point. It’s smart to begin preparing for air conditioning installation before it fails so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for a replacement.

Reliability

How trustworthy is your air conditioner? Does it cool reliably, even on the hottest days? Or is it regularly malfunctioning? When your air conditioner is less dependable it’s time to start considering getting an updated one.

Repair Costs

Over your air conditioner’s life cycle, it’s normal for it to need several small repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the price of a new air conditioner, it’s wiser to just install a new one.

Energy Efficiency

Every air conditioner comes with a SEER rating, which ranks how efficiently it expends electricity to create cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER to meet federal laws. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it wears out.

As of now, 15–18 SEER is a popular number, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with greater SEER ratings are often costlier but might pay for themselves over the years through more energy savings. And purchasing an energy-efficient air conditioner, especially one that’s an ENERGY STAR® air conditioner, can make you eligible for additional rebates.

Comfort

Are you cool when your air conditioner is on? Or are you often dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An aging air conditioner might have problems keeping your residence comfy due to reduced efficiency. A new air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can lower high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of operating at full speed constantly, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to adjust your comfort.

Noise

Your air conditioner should give cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is annoying you, call us about upgrading to a variable-speed air conditioner. Many of these air conditioners cool at a sound level that’s like a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Getting a smart thermostat is a wise way to maximize your energy efficiency, with not much effort required from you. And, depending on the rebates provided by your utility company, you could be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for a greatly reduced price. The majority of these thermostats can learn from your temperature preferences and then make an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or away and alter temps as necessary.

If you rely on an aging air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Getting a new air conditioner is a wise method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.

Refrigerant Kind

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely runs on Freon®. Also called R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being made because of its damaging effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner uses R-22 by looking at the sticker on the outside unit, which will show the refrigerant kind.

If your air conditioner is operating fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever has a refrigerant leak, solving the problem will be pricey. That’s because Freon is only available in limited, recycled amounts.

Newer air conditioners have Puron®, or R-410A. But you can’t just use Puron in a Freon air conditioner, as pressure requirements are different.

Our Professionals Make Air Conditioning Installation Hassle-Free

If you’re still deciding whether you should replace your 15-year-old air conditioner soon, consider this. The Department of Energy says doing air conditioning replacement for a 10-year-old model can result in 25–40% in energy savings! And those savings can really accumulate as time passes.

We are aware that air conditioner cost is your first question. That’s why collaborating with House of Heating Incorporated for air conditioning installation in Marshfield and surrounding areas is easy and affordable. Our professionals will help you select the right solution for your needs and then review all the possibilities. These include special offers to help you save more and financing for qualified customers to make your new air conditioner work with your budget.

Reach us at 715-384-3163 to request your free, no-pressure estimate today!