Making an A/C purchase could be one of the more complex and expensive upgrades for your home and it’s common for homeowners to put it off because of those reasons. Limping through the cooling season with an older system likely means you’ll have high electric bills and possibly some repairs. However, the benefits of replacing the air conditioner sooner rather than later include:
- Dependability. As long as you keep the air filters for the air handler clean and perform other routine maintenance, you can look forward to years of trouble-free operation from your new air conditioner. You won’t have to worry about inconvenient breakdowns.
- Lower electric bills. Central air conditioners must have an energy efficiency rating of 13 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio). This standard went into effect in 2006, so if you’re replacing a system any older than seven years, you’re likely to see a significant drop in energy use.Each increase in SEER offers 10 percent better efficiency. For example, an 18 SEER system will use 50 percent less energy than a 13 SEER system. Over time, lower energy bills offset the cost of the A/C purchase without sacrificing any comfort.
- Tax credits. Depending on the cooling system you choose, you could qualify for federal tax credits up to 30 percent of the purchase and installation. Some of the credits expire at the end of 2013, while those for geothermal last through 2016.
- Warranty. Warranties can last as long as 10 years, assuring you that any breakdowns will be fully or partially covered.
- Refrigerant. The refrigerant in new cooling systems is far safer than R-22, used in older systems and currently being phased out. The new R-410A costs far less to replace and doesn’t carry the environmental risks that R-22 does. If your system uses R-22, adding more will be more and more expensive over time.
Lastly, if your repair bills equal 50 percent of the value of the cooling system, an A/C purchase makes financial sense. To learn more, contact Around the Clock Heating and Air Conditioning. We’ve provided HVAC services for greater Los Angeles since 1967.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about A/C purchases and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock