With adequate upkeep, your air conditioner will offer worry-free cooling for a long time. But, like any other appliance in your residence, it will ultimately need to be upgraded. Knowing when to replace it is important to skip pricey repairs, costly utility bills and comfort disruptions.

When it involves being cool and your home’s energy efficiency, our Wallpe Heating & Cooling specialists have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into figuring out when your air conditioner requires replacement. 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 work for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the midpoint. It’s smart to start preparing for air conditioning installation before it wears out so you aren’t sweltering while you’re waiting for a replacement.

Reliability

How reliable is your air conditioner? Does it cool reliably, even on the toastiest days? Or is it routinely malfunctioning? When your air conditioner is less dependable it’s time to initiate considering getting an updated one.

Repair Expenses

Over your air conditioner’s lifetime, it’s normal for it to need several small repairs. But if your air conditioner repair cost is more than half the cost of a new air conditioner, it’s wiser to just get a new one.

Energy Efficiency

Every air conditioner has a SEER rating, which rates how efficiently it consumes electricity to make cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER according to federal mandates. However, your air conditioner loses efficiency as it ages.

As of now, 15–18 SEER is a popular range, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with higher SEER ratings are often costlier but might pay for themselves over time through more energy savings. And purchasing 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 on? Or are you constantly dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An aging air conditioner might have trouble keeping your house comfy as a result of decreased efficiency. A modern air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can reduce high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of cooling at full speed all the time, 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 a concern, ask us about installing a variable-speed air conditioner. Many of these air conditioners run at a sound level that’s like a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Adding a smart thermostat is a smart method to maximize your energy efficiency, with not much effort needed from you. And, depending on the rebates offered by your utility company, you may be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for very little. The majority of these thermostats can adjust to your temperature preferences and then make an energy-efficient schedule to match. They also know when you’re at home or out and about and adjust temperatures as necessary.

If you have an aging air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Getting a new air conditioner is a surefire method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.

Refrigerant Type

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely runs on Freon®. Also called R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being made because of its bad effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner has R-22 by checking the sticker on the outside unit, which will show the refrigerant type.

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

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

Our Technicians Make Air Conditioning Installation Hassle-Free

If you’re still deciding whether you should replace your 15-year-old air conditioner within the immediate future, 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 accumulate over the years.

We know that air conditioner cost is your first question. That’s why working with Wallpe Heating & Cooling for air conditioning installation in Greensburg and surrounding areas is stress-free and affordable. Our pros will help you find 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.

Call us at 812-663-7252 to request your free, no-pressure estimate today!