With ample upkeep, your air conditioner will offer worry-free performance for a long time. But, like any other appliance in your house, it will ultimately need to be upgraded. Knowing when to replace it is essential to skip pricey repairs, expensive utility bills and interruptions to your comfort.

When it comes to being cool and your house’s energy efficiency, our Western Mechanical, Inc. professionals have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into determining when your air conditioner needs to be replaced. Here are a few points you should consider when you’re thinking about upgrading 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 midpoint. It’s recommended to start preparing for air conditioning installation before it wears out so you aren’t sweltering while you’re waiting for installation.

Trustworthiness

How reliable is your air conditioner? Does it cool reliably, even on the hottest days? Or is it frequently malfunctioning? When your air conditioner starts becoming less dependable it’s time to initiate thinking about getting an updated one.

Repair Expenses

Over your air conditioner’s life span, it’s normal for it to need a handful of minor repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the price of a new air conditioner, it’s wiser to just replace it.

Energy Efficiency

Every air conditioner comes with a SEER rating, which ranks how efficiently it expends electricity to make cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER per federal mandates. However, your air conditioner becomes less efficient as it ages.

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 usually costlier but could pay for themselves over their life span through increased energy savings. And installing 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 constantly dialing down the temperature to keep cool? An aging air conditioner might struggle to keep your residence comfy as a result of lower efficiency. A new air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can minimize high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of operating at full speed continuously, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to adapt your comfort.

Noise

Your air conditioner should provide cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is annoying you, call us about getting a variable-speed air conditioner. Many of these air conditioners run at a sound level that’s like a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Installing a smart thermostat is a good method to maximize your energy efficiency, with very little effort needed from you. And, depending on the rebates available from your utility company, you might be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for a greatly reduced price. Most of these thermostats can learn from your temperature preferences and then develop an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or away and adjust settings as necessary.

If you have an older air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Upgrading your air conditioner is a smart method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.

Refrigerant Type

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it potentially runs on Freon®. Also referred to as R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being made because of its negative 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 include the refrigerant kind.

If your air conditioner is working fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever has a refrigerant leak, repairing the problem will be pricey. That’s because Freon is only available in reduced, recycled amounts.

Newer air conditioners run on Puron®, or R-410A. But you can’t just put Puron in a Freon air conditioner, as pressure requirements are different.

Our Pros Make Air Conditioning Installation Easy

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 result in 25–40% in energy savings! And those savings can really add up over time.

We realize that air conditioner cost is your number one question. That’s why partnering with Western Mechanical, Inc. for air conditioning installation in Cache Valley and surrounding areas is stress-free and affordable. Our technicians 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 work with your budget.

Reach us at 435-753-5515 to request your free, no-pressure estimate today!