With adequate maintenance, your air conditioner will provide worry-free cooling for a long time. But, like any other machine in your home, it will eventually need to be replaced. Knowing when to replace it is important to avoid costly repairs, higher utility bills and comfort disruptions.
When it involves being cool and your home’s energy efficiency, our Brookwood Inc pros have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into determining when your air conditioner requires replacement. Here are a few aspects you should consider when you’re thinking about upgrading 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 center point. It’s smart to begin prepping for air conditioning installation before it wears out so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for a replacement.
Reliability
How dependable is your air conditioner? Does it cool dependably, even on the hottest days? Or is it frequently malfunctioning? When your air conditioner becomes less reliable it’s time to start thinking about getting an updated one.
Repair Expenses
Over your air conditioner’s lifetime, it’s anticipated 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 get a new one.
Energy Efficiency
Every air conditioner has a SEER rating, which rates how well it uses electricity to create cooling. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be at least 13 SEER according to federal laws. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it gets older.
Now, 15–18 SEER is a popular number, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with higher SEER ratings are often pricier but might pay for themselves over their life span 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 extra rebates.
Comfort
Are you comfy when your air conditioner is on? Or are you constantly dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An aging air conditioner may have trouble keeping your house comfortable 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 on high all the time, these air conditioners run at multiple speeds to adjust your comfort.
Noise
Your air conditioner should provide cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is a concern, ask us about installing a variable-speed air conditioner. Many of these air conditioners run at a sound level that’s comparable to a regular conversation.
Smart Thermostat Compatibility
Getting a smart thermostat is a smart way to stay on top of energy efficiency, with not much effort required from you. And, depending on the rebates offered by your utility company, you may be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for not much. Most of these thermostats can adjust to your temperature preferences and then create an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or gone and alter settings as necessary.
If you use an older air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Getting a new air conditioner is a smart method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.
Refrigerant Style
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely relies on Freon®. Also called R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being produced because of its damaging effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner runs on R-22 by reviewing 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 experiences a refrigerant leak, repairing the problem will be costly. That’s since Freon is only available in reduced, recycled amounts.
Newer air conditioners have Puron®, or R-410A. But you can’t just put Puron in a Freon air conditioner, since pressure requirements are different.
Our Professionals Make Air Conditioning Installation Hassle-Free
If you’re still trying to decide whether you should replace your 15-year-old air conditioner now, 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 the years.
We are aware that air conditioner cost is your number one question. That’s why partnering with Brookwood Inc for air conditioning installation in Newton and surrounding areas is easy and affordable. Our techs will help you find the right option 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 work with your budget.
Reach us at 641-316-9803 to request your free, no-pressure estimate right away!