With proper upkeep, your air conditioner will provide worry-free performance for many years. But, like any other thing in your house, it will ultimately need replacement. Knowing when to get a new one is important to prevent pricey repairs, costly energy bills and interrupted comfort.

When it comes to being cool and your residence’s energy efficiency, our Bigfoot Mechanical professionals 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 upgrading your 15-year-old air conditioner.

Age

Typically, the Department of Energy says the majority of air conditioners run for 15–20 years. If yours is 15 years old, it’s well past the center point. It’s wise to begin preparing for air conditioning installation before it fails so you aren’t sweating while you’re waiting for a replacement.

Reliability

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

Repair Bills

Over your air conditioner’s lifetime, it’s expected for it to need a handful of 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 has a SEER rating, which ranks how proficiently it expends electricity to create cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be a minimum of 13 SEER per federal rules. However, your air conditioner loses efficiency as it gets older.

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

Comfort

Are you cool when your air conditioner is running? Or are you often dialing down the temperature to stay cool? An aging air conditioner might have trouble keeping your house comfy as a result of decreased efficiency. An updated air conditioner, particularly a variable-speed air conditioner, can reduce high humidity and hot and cold spots. Instead of running at full speed all the time, 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 annoying you, check with us about getting a variable-speed air conditioner. Many of these air conditioners cool at a sound level that’s comparable to a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Installing a smart thermostat is a smart approach to maximize your energy efficiency, with not much effort necessary from you. And, depending on the rebates offered by your utility company, you could be able to get a free smart thermostat or get one for very little. Many of these thermostats can learn from 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 older air conditioner, a smart thermostat might not work with it. Upgrading your air conditioner is a surefire method to ensure smart thermostat compatibility.

Refrigerant Type

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it probably runs on Freon®. Also known as R-22 refrigerant, Freon is no longer being manufactured 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 show the refrigerant style.

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

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

Our Pros Make Air Conditioning Installation Stress-Free

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

We realize that air conditioner cost is your number one question. That’s why collaborating with Bigfoot Mechanical for air conditioning installation in Spokane and surrounding areas is simple and affordable. Our techs will help you choose 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.

Get in touch with us at 509-392-8770 to request your free, no-pressure estimate now!