With ample upkeep, your air conditioner will offer worry-free performance for many years. But, like any other thing in your house, it will at some point need replacement. Knowing when to replace it is essential to avoid pricey repairs, costly energy bills and interruptions to your comfort.
When it includes being cool and your home’s energy efficiency, our House of Heating Incorporated pros have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into figuring out when your air conditioner needs to be replaced. Here are a few points you should consider when you’re thinking about updating your 15-year-old air conditioner.
Age
On average, the Department of Energy says many air conditioners work for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the midpoint. It’s smart to start preparing for air conditioning installation before it goes out so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for a new one.
Reliability
How trustworthy is your air conditioner? Does it cool reliably, even on the warmest days? Or is it regularly malfunctioning? When your air conditioner becomes less trustworthy it’s time to initiate thinking about getting an updated one.
Repair Bills
Over your air conditioner’s life cycle, it’s expected for it to need a handful of little repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the expenses of a new air conditioner, it’s recommended to just replace it.
Energy Efficiency
Every air conditioner includes a SEER rating, which rates how efficiently it expends electricity to produce cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be at least 13 SEER per federal mandates. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it gets older.
Today, 15–18 SEER is a popular ranking, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with greater SEER ratings are often costlier but could pay for themselves over their life span through improved energy savings. And getting an energy-efficient air conditioner, especially one that’s an ENERGY STAR® air conditioner, can make you eligible for added rebates.
Comfort
Are you comfy when your air conditioner is running? Or are you constantly dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An old air conditioner might have problems keeping your residence comfy due to lower efficiency. A new air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can reduce high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of running at full speed constantly, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to fine-tune your comfort.
Noise
Your air conditioner should provide cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is annoying you, ask us about getting a variable-speed air conditioner. The majority of these air conditioners operate at a sound level that’s comparable to a regular conversation.
Smart Thermostat Compatibility
Adding a smart thermostat is a wise method to maximize your energy efficiency, with not much effort necessary from you. And, depending on the rebates available from your utility company, you could be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for very little. The majority of these thermostats can pick up on your temperature preferences and then create an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or away and alter settings 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 surefire method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.
Refrigerant Type
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely runs on Freon®. Also called R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being produced because of its bad 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 include the refrigerant kind.
If your air conditioner is running fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever experiences a refrigerant leak, repairing the problem will be pricey. That’s due to the fact Freon is only available in limited, recycled amounts.
Newer air conditioners use Puron®, or R-410A. But you can’t just put Puron in a Freon air conditioner, because pressure requirements are different.
Our Techs Make Air Conditioning Installation Hassle-Free
If you’re still trying to decide 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 provide 25–40% in energy savings! And those savings can really accumulate over time.
We realize that air conditioner cost is your first question. That’s why working with House of Heating Incorporated for air conditioning installation in Marshfield and surrounding areas is stress-free and affordable. Our professionals will help you find the right model for your needs and then go over all the possibilities. These include special offers to help you save more and financing for qualified customers to make your new air conditioner accommodate your budget.
Call us at 715-384-3163 to request your free, no-pressure estimate right away!