With adequate upkeep, your air conditioner will provide worry-free performance for years. But, just like any other appliance in your house, it will ultimately need to be replaced. Knowing when to replace it is important to prevent pricey repairs, higher energy bills and comfort disruptions.

When it involves being cool and your house’s energy efficiency, our Luikart Heating & Cooling pros have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into figuring out when your air conditioner should be replaced. Here are a couple of points you should consider when you’re thinking about replacing your 15-year-old air conditioner.

Age

Typically, the Department of Energy says most air conditioners run for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the center point. It’s wise to start preparing for air conditioning installation before it wears out so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for installation.

Trustworthiness

How trustworthy is your air conditioner? Does it cool dependably, even on the warmest days? Or is it regularly malfunctioning? When your air conditioner is less trustworthy it’s time to begin thinking about getting an updated one.

Repair Expenses

Over your air conditioner’s life cycle, it’s anticipated for it to need a few small repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the expenses of a new air conditioner, it’s wiser to just replace it.

Energy Efficiency

Every air conditioner comes with a SEER rating, which rates how well it uses electricity to create cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER to meet federal guidelines. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it ages.

Today, 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 may pay for themselves over time through improved energy savings. And purchasing an energy-efficient air conditioner, especially one that’s an ENERGY STAR® air conditioner, can make you eligible for additional rebates.

Comfort

Are you comfy when your air conditioner is running? Or are you continuously dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An older air conditioner might struggle to keep your house comfy because of lower efficiency. An updated air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can reduce high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of cooling at full speed constantly, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to adapt your comfort.

Noise

Your air conditioner should deliver cooling you can feel, not hear. If noise is a concern, call us about upgrading to a variable-speed air conditioner. The majority of these air conditioners operate at a sound level that’s like a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Installing a smart thermostat is a good approach 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 very little. Most of these thermostats can learn from your temperature preferences and then create an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or gone and adjust temperatures as necessary.

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

Refrigerant Style

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely runs on Freon®. Also known as R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being produced because 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 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 since Freon is only available in reduced, recycled amounts.

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

Our Professionals Make Air Conditioning Installation Easy

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 provide 25–40% in energy savings! And those savings can really add up as time goes by.

We realize that air conditioner cost is your top question. That’s why collaborating with Luikart Heating & Cooling for air conditioning installation in Newark and surrounding areas is easy and affordable. Our pros 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 work with your budget.

Get in touch with us at 740-344-5497 to request your free, no-pressure estimate now!