With adequate upkeep, your air conditioner will provide worry-free cooling for years. But, like any other thing in your house, it will ultimately need to be updated. Knowing when to replace it is key to avoid pricey repairs, higher utility bills and comfort disruptions.

When it comes to being cool and your home’s energy efficiency, our Desert Husky HVAC/R Services professionals have your best interests at heart. There’s a lot that goes into deciding when your air conditioner requires replacement. Here are several points you should consider when you’re thinking about upgrading your 15-year-old air conditioner.

Age

Most of the time, 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 midpoint. It’s wise to start preparing for air conditioning installation before it fails so you aren’t roasting while you’re waiting for installation.

Reliability

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

Repair Expenses

Over your air conditioner’s lifetime, it’s expected 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 smarter to just install a new one.

Energy Efficiency

Every air conditioner comes with a SEER rating, which ranks how proficiently it consumes electricity to make cold air. If your air conditioner was installed in 2006, it will be at minimum 13 SEER per federal rules. However, your air conditioner becomes inefficient as it ages.

Today, 15–18 SEER is a popular ranking, but efficiency can go as high as the mid-20s. Air conditioners with greater SEER ratings are typically costlier but could 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 extra rebates.

Comfort

Are you comfy when your air conditioner is on? Or are you constantly dialing down the temperature to keep cool? An old air conditioner may struggle to keep your house comfy due to reduced 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 operate 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 installing a variable-speed air conditioner. Most of these air conditioners run at a sound level that’s like a regular conversation.

Smart Thermostat Compatibility

Getting a smart thermostat is a smart approach to maximize your energy efficiency, with not much effort needed 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 not much. Most of these thermostats can adjust to 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 change temps as necessary.

If you have an older 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 Kind

If your air conditioner was installed before 2010, it likely runs on Freon®. Also called 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 has R-22 by looking at the sticker on the outside unit, which will include the refrigerant kind.

If your air conditioner is operating fine, you can keep on using it. However, if it ever experiences a refrigerant leak, repairing 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 add Puron in a Freon air conditioner, since pressure requirements are different.

Our Professionals Make Air Conditioning Installation Easy

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 result in 25–40% in energy savings! And those savings can really accumulate over time.

We know that air conditioner cost is your first question. That’s why collaborating with Desert Husky HVAC/R Services for air conditioning installation in Tucson and Phoenix and surrounding areas is easy and affordable. Our techs will help you find the right option 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 work with your budget.

Reach us at 520-416-5415 to request your free, no-pressure estimate today!