With adequate service, your air conditioner will provide worry-free cooling for many years. But, like any other thing in your house, it will at some point need to be upgraded. Knowing when to replace it is important to skip pricey repairs, costly electrical bills and interrupted comfort.
When it comes to keeping cool and your residence’s energy efficiency, our Airmax Long Island Inc specialists have your best interests at the forefront. There’s a lot that goes into deciding when your air conditioner needs to be replaced. Here are a couple of aspects you should consider when you’re thinking about replacing your 15-year-old air conditioner.
Age
Most of the time, the Department of Energy says most 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 planning for air conditioning installation before it wears out so you aren’t sweating while you’re waiting for a new one.
Reliability
How trustworthy is your air conditioner? Does it cool well, even on the toastiest days? Or is it frequently needing repairs? When your air conditioner becomes less trustworthy it’s time to get started considering getting a new one.
Repair Bills
Over your air conditioner’s life cycle, it’s normal for it to need several little repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the expenses of a new air conditioner, it’s smarter to just replace it.
Energy Efficiency
Every air conditioner has a SEER rating, which ranks how well it expends electricity to produce cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be at minimum 13 SEER per federal laws. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it ages.
Now, 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 more expensive but could pay for themselves over the years 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 extra rebates.
Comfort
Are you cool when your air conditioner is working? Or are you often switching the temperature to remain cool? An aging air conditioner may struggle to keep your residence comfy as a result of decreased efficiency. A new air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can lower high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of running at full blast continuously, these air conditioners run at multiple speeds to fine-tune your comfort.
Noise
Your air conditioner should deliver cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is annoying you, ask us about upgrading to a variable-speed air conditioner. Most of these air conditioners cool at a sound level that’s like an everyday conversation.
Smart Thermostat Compatibility
Getting a smart thermostat is a good approach to keep up with energy efficiency, with minimal effort needed from you. And, depending on the rebates offered by your utility company, you could be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for very little. 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 out and about and adjust settings accordingly.
If you rely on an outdated air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Upgrading your air conditioner is a surefire approach to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.
Refrigerant Kind
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely relies on Freon®. Also known as R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being produced as a result of its damaging effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner uses R-22 by checking the sticker on the outside unit, which will list the refrigerant type.
If your air conditioner is working fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever develops a refrigerant leak, repairing the problem will be costly. That’s since Freon is only available in reduced, recycled amounts.
Newer air conditioners use Puron®, or R-410A. But you can’t just add Puron in a Freon air conditioner, because 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 soon, think about 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 build over the years.
We realize that air conditioner cost is your first question. That’s why working with Airmax Long Island Inc for air conditioning installation in Long Island and surrounding areas is simple and affordable. Our techs will help you select 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 fit your budget.
Call us at 631-737-5566 to request your free, no-pressure estimate now!