With ample upkeep, your air conditioner will offer worry-free service for years. But, similar to any other thing in your home, it will at some point need to be upgraded. Knowing when to replace it is essential to skip expensive repairs, expensive utility bills and interrupted comfort.
When it involves keeping cool and your residence’s energy efficiency, our Farris Heating & Air specialists are looking out for your best interests. There’s a lot that goes into figuring out when your air conditioner requires replacement. Here are a few things you should consider when you’re thinking about updating your 15-year-old air conditioner.
Age
In most instances, the Department of Energy says many air conditioners last for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the midpoint. It’s recommended to get started preparing for air conditioning installation before it wears out so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for a new one.
Reliability
How reliable is your air conditioner? Does it cool well, even on the toastiest days? Or is it routinely malfunctioning? When your air conditioner becomes less reliable it’s time to get started considering getting a new one.
Repair Bills
Over your air conditioner’s life span, it’s expected for it to need a few 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 includes a SEER rating, which measures how proficiently it uses electricity to create cooling. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be at minimum 13 SEER per federal rules. However, your air conditioner loses efficiency as it gets older.
As of 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 costlier but might pay for themselves over their life span through more energy savings. And getting 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 working? Or are you constantly switching the temperature to stay cool? An aging air conditioner may have trouble keeping your house comfy as a result of reduced efficiency. A modern air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can reduce high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of operating at full blast constantly, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to adjust your comfort.
Noise
Your air conditioner should provide cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is a concern, check with us about getting a variable-speed air conditioner. The majority of these air conditioners cool at a sound level that’s similar to a normal conversation.
Smart Thermostat Compatibility
Adding a smart thermostat is a wise method to keep up with energy efficiency, with not much effort necessary from you. And, depending on the rebates provided 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 pick up on your temperature preferences and then create an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or gone and change temps accordingly.
If you have an aging 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 likely relies 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 runs on R-22 by looking at the sticker on the outside unit, which will show 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 expensive. That’s because Freon is only available in decreased, 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 Professionals Make Air Conditioning Installation Stress-Free
If you’re still debating 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 add up over time.
We are aware that air conditioner cost is your number one question. That’s why collaborating with Farris Heating & Air for air conditioning installation in Bartlesville 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 918-333-0376 to request your free, no-pressure estimate now!