With proper upkeep, your air conditioner will provide worry-free service for many years. But, like any other appliance in your home, it will at some point need to be replaced. Knowing when to get a new one is essential to prevent pricey repairs, expensive energy bills and interruptions to your comfort.

When it comes to being cool and your house’s energy efficiency, our Comfort Concepts Heating & Air Conditioning specialists 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 several points you should consider when you’re thinking about updating your 15-year-old air conditioner.

Age

Typically, the Department of Energy says many air conditioners run for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the midpoint. It’s wise to get started preparing for air conditioning installation before it fails so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for installation.

Reliability

How reliable is your air conditioner? Does it cool well, even on the hottest days? Or is it frequently malfunctioning? When your air conditioner becomes less reliable it’s time to initiate preparing to get an updated one.

Repair Costs

Over your air conditioner’s life cycle, it’s expected for it to need a handful of little repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the price of a new air conditioner, it’s recommended to just replace it.

Energy Efficiency

Every air conditioner comes with a SEER rating, which rates how proficiently it expends electricity to create cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be at minimum 13 SEER to meet federal guidelines. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it wears out.

As of now, 15–18 SEER is a popular range, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with bigger SEER ratings are often costlier but could pay for themselves over time through increased energy savings. And getting an energy-efficient air conditioner, especially one that’s an ENERGY STAR® air conditioner, can make you eligible for added rebates.

Comfort

Are you comfy when your air conditioner is on? Or are you continuously dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An older air conditioner may struggle to keep your residence comfy as a result of lower efficiency. A new air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can reduce high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of operating at full speed all the time, these air conditioners work at multiple speeds to adjust your comfort.

Noise

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

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Adding a smart thermostat is a wise approach to maximize your energy efficiency, with very little effort needed 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. The majority 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 out and about and alter settings as necessary.

If you rely on an aging air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Upgrading your air conditioner is a surefire method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.

Refrigerant Kind

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 produced because of its bad effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner uses R-22 by looking at the sticker on the outside unit, which will show the refrigerant style.

If your air conditioner is running fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever develops a refrigerant leak, fixing the problem will be costly. That’s since Freon is only available in limited, recycled amounts.

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

Our Professionals Make Air Conditioning Installation Easy

If you’re still debating whether you should replace your 15-year-old air conditioner soon, 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 build up over time.

We realize that air conditioner cost is your top question. That’s why working with Comfort Concepts Heating & Air Conditioning for air conditioning installation in Yukon and surrounding areas is easy and affordable. Our technicians will help you choose 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 fit your budget.

Get in touch with us at 405-494-7444 to request your free, no-pressure estimate right away!