What's the Right Time to Replace My 15-Year-Old Air Conditioner?

With adequate upkeep, your air conditioner will offer worry-free cooling for years. But, just like any other machine in your home, it will ultimately need to be updated. Knowing when to replace it is key to prevent pricey repairs, costly energy bills and comfort disruptions.

When it includes being cool and your home’s energy efficiency, our ACE Solutions professionals have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into determining when your air conditioner should be replaced. Here are several points you should consider when you’re thinking about upgrading your 15-year-old air conditioner.

Age

On average, the Department of Energy says many air conditioners last for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the halfway point. It’s smart to get started preparing for air conditioning installation before it goes out so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for a new one.

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 is less trustworthy it’s time to begin thinking about getting an updated one.

Repair Bills

Over your air conditioner’s life span, it’s normal for it to need several little 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 has a SEER rating, which ranks how efficiently it expends electricity to produce cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER per federal laws. However, your air conditioner becomes less efficient as it wears out.

Today, 15–18 SEER is a popular number, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with greater SEER ratings are usually costlier but may pay for themselves over their life span 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 added rebates.

Comfort

Are you comfy when your air conditioner is on? Or are you continuously dialing down the temperature to keep cool? An aging air conditioner may struggle to keep your home comfy because of decreased efficiency. A modern air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can lower high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of running at full speed constantly, these air conditioners operate at multiple speeds to fine-tune your comfort.

Noise

Your air conditioner should provide 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 run at a sound level that’s similar to a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Installing a smart thermostat is a wise approach to maximize your energy efficiency, with not much effort needed from you. And, depending on the rebates provided by your utility company, you might be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for very little. Many 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 alter temps as necessary.

If you have an outdated 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 likely runs on Freon®. Also known as R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being made because of its damaging effects on the ozone layer. You can see if your air conditioner runs on R-22 by checking the sticker on the outside unit, which will show the refrigerant style.

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

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

Our Technicians Make Air Conditioning Installation Stress-Free

If you’re still debating whether you should replace your 15-year-old air conditioner within the immediate future, think over 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 add up as time passes.

We know that air conditioner cost is your first question. That’s why partnering with ACE Solutions for air conditioning installation in Hasbrouck Heights and surrounding areas is stress-free and affordable. Our techs will help you find the right model for your needs and then review all the possibilities. These include special offers to help you save more and financing for qualified customers to make your new air conditioner accommodate your budget.

Call us at 201-426-0650 to request your free, no-pressure estimate today!