With adequate service, your air conditioner will deliver worry-free performance for many years. But, like any other thing in your residence, it will ultimately need to be replaced. Knowing when to replace it is important to skip expensive repairs, costly energy bills and interrupted comfort.
When it includes keeping cool and your house’s energy efficiency, our Northglenn Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. 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 couple of aspects you should consider when you’re thinking about upgrading your 15-year-old air conditioner.
Age
Typically, the Department of Energy says most air conditioners run for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the center point. It’s wise to start planning for air conditioning installation before it goes out so you aren’t sweating while you’re waiting for a new one.
Trustworthiness
How reliable is your air conditioner? Does it cool well, even on the warmest days? Or is it frequently needing repairs? When your air conditioner is less dependable it’s time to get started thinking about getting a new one.
Repair Bills
Over your air conditioner’s lifetime, it’s normal for it to need a few small repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the expenses of a new air conditioner, it’s wiser to just replace it.
Energy Efficiency
Every air conditioner includes a SEER rating, which ranks how well it expends electricity to make chilled air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER according to federal mandates. However, your air conditioner becomes less efficient as it gets older.
Today, 15–18 SEER is a popular number, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with bigger SEER ratings are usually pricier but could pay for themselves over their life span through increased 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 comfortable when your air conditioner is running? Or are you often dialing down the temperature to remain cool? An old air conditioner could have trouble keeping your residence cool due to lower efficiency. A new air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can minimize high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of cooling at full speed all the time, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to fine-tune your comfort.
Noise
Your air conditioner should give cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is bothering you, check with us about installing a variable-speed air conditioner. Most of these air conditioners cool at a sound level that’s comparable to a regular conversation.
Smart Thermostat Compatibility
Getting a smart thermostat is a wise way to maximize your energy efficiency, with very little 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 not much. Most of these thermostats can pick up on your temperature preferences and then make an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or gone and adjust settings as necessary.
If you have an older air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Getting a new air conditioner is a wise approach to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.
Refrigerant Type
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it probably relies on Freon®. Also referred to as R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being manufactured as a result of its damaging effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner runs on R-22 by looking at the sticker on the outside unit, which will list the refrigerant style.
If your air conditioner is running fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever develops a refrigerant leak, repairing the problem will be costly. That’s due to the fact Freon is only available in reduced, recycled amounts.
Newer air conditioners have Puron®, or R-410A. But you can’t just use Puron in a Freon air conditioner, since pressure requirements are different.
Our Technicians Make Air Conditioning Installation Stress-Free
If you’re still debating whether you should replace your 15-year-old air conditioner now, think over this. The Department of Energy says doing air conditioning replacement for a 10-year-old model can lead to 25–40% in energy savings! And those savings can really add up over time.
We know that air conditioner cost is your top question. That’s why collaborating with Northglenn Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. for air conditioning installation in Northglenn and surrounding areas is easy and affordable. Our professionals will help you find the right solution for your needs and then discuss 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 303-452-4146 to request your free, no-pressure estimate today!