Replacing your home’s air conditioner is probably one of the biggest decisions you will make this summer to ensure your family’s comfort. Whether to choose between an AC repair or an entire air conditioner replacement is a call you may have to deal with. Fortunately there is a point at which you can know it’s time to stop putting money in to AC repairs and choose to replace your air conditioner.
Increasing AC Age
Something to keep in mind before getting too involved in to the process is the age of the air conditioner. Like many mechanical devices, air conditioners will wear out over time. With a new air conditioner, newer technology offers greater comfort and better reliability, for less money. While it’s not on the same scale, you could compare heating and air conditioning equipment to computers. The technology does have a lifespan and newer, more advanced upgrades are always being born.
Increasing AC Repair Costs
With an appliance as complex as a central air conditioner, there are parts that give out and break down over time, especially if routine maintenance has not been done. A well-maintained air conditioner should work well throughout peak air conditioning season. A good rule of thumb when deciding to get a new air conditioner is that if annual AC repair costs approach $1,200, it’s probably a good time to replace. That’s because the average monthly payment of an entirely new air conditioning system is the equivalent of that single repair cost.
Another way to think about this is, if the cost for the AC repair is 1/12 of the cost of a new AC replacement, the benefits of the replacement air conditioner in low monthly payments, energy bill reduction and greater comfort likely outweighs the investment in the AC repair.
Decreasing Efficiency
Observing decreases in your energy bill doesn’t take long when it happens month after month. It can be easy to write it off as an anomaly, but be sure to take a closer look at the energy you’re consuming and see if those increases are due to higher usage, or more likely due to something else like lower efficiency of your home’s air conditioner. The older your AC system gets (and the longer it goes before being maintained), the more inefficient it will become. It may also be a sign that it’s time for air conditioner replacement.
Noise Pollution
Older air conditioners and ductwork operate much louder than today’s new AC systems. That annoying clanking you’ve become used to, or the overall noise level when the air conditioner is working could mean the end is near for your current air conditioner. You may not realize how much noise you and your family have been living with until you live with the extreme quiet that a newer, more modern air conditioning system can provide.
Of course, these aren’t the only problems that indicate the need for air conditioner replacement, but they are a few of the more common ones that we see daily. Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help by giving you a free assessment of your home’s air conditioning system to help determine whether the time has come for your air conditioner to be replaced, or if it’s best to go forward with an AC repair. Orlando has trusted us for a reason, and that’s because your comfort is always top priority. Give us a call at 407-329-7661 or set up a free appointment today.