An A/C replacement is a big expense that you should carefully consider. When the circumstances are right, the new cooling system will serve as an investment that can help you save on your energy bills, make your home feel more comfortable, and improve the quality of indoor air.
If you’re not sure an A/C replacement is the right move to make, think about the following:
- Maintenance: If your older A/C has been needing more and more repairs in recent years, you’re probably throwing good money after bad by continuing to repair rather than replace. Another sign that you need a new A/C is if your model is so old that it’s difficult to find matching components for it from the manufacturer. While a “good enough” part from a different manufacturer may offer a quick fix, it could lead to more problems in the future.
- The timing: If one or more of these conditions apply to your older air conditioner, it’s probably a good time to replace it:
- Your house feels more humid than it used to.
- Your energy bills keep going up.
- Your home seems too dusty.
- Your current A/C is 10 years old or older.
- The A/C is louder than it used to be.
- Your A/C doesn’t work with a programmable thermostat.
- The cooling system uses the R-22 coolant, which the federal EPA is currently phasing out for environmental reasons.
- The best type of A/C replacement for your home: Your current air conditioner may not be the best choice available. Sit down with an HVAC contractor to learn what types of systems will work well in your home and the pros and cons of each. A higher-efficiency A/C can reap long-term savings in operating costs.
- The size of the A/C unit: If your current cooling system is the wrong size for your home’s cooling load, it won’t run efficiently. An A/C that’s too big will use more energy than necessary while not providing balanced cooling or proper humidity control. One that’s too small has to work harder to cool your house, and may not succeed on the hottest days.
To see if it’s time for an A/C replacement in your Fresno area home, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about A/C replacements and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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