An air conditioner is perhaps the essential appliance in the households in the Sunshine State. Considering its costly price tag, it is imperative to make your AC last for as long as possible. Taking routine maintenance seriously matters, but regular air-conditioning repair in Largo can only make your cooling system efficient and serviceable for too long.
Air conditioner replacement can be a costly proposition, but it is worth the expense for many reasons. A better AC can pay for itself over time, make your interior space (and the planet) healthier, and improve your home lifestyle.
To know when to buy a new air conditioning system, watch out for these red flags:
Age
Central ACs today can perform optimally for up to 20 years, provided that you embrace preventive maintenance. The life span of old units, though, can be shorter.
The older an HVAC unit gets, the more inefficient it becomes. Poor efficiency can lead to a host of problems, including intermittent performance issues and strange noises.
If you can’t remember how long you have had your air conditioner, maybe you should start considering getting a replacement.
High Energy Usage
Excessive electric consumption is equal to AC inefficiency. The fact that cooling accounts for 6% of an average American household’s annual energy cost, you are probably paying your utility unnecessarily more just to run your underperforming air conditioner. Small electric bill increases can be negligible, but they add up over time.
To be clear, replacement is not the only solution to HVAC inefficiency. For instance, upgrading to a programmable thermostat can move the needle in energy efficiency, but such a device does not stop your air conditioner from aging. It can only slow its deterioration by not demanding for chilled air when it is not needed, but a low-efficiency AC is a definite drain on your household energy.
Frequent AC Breakdown
If you follow your AC manufacturer’s recommended maintenance practices, but your equipment still shuts down more often than it should, a repair might no longer be a viable option.
Of course, a myriad of reasons can cause air conditioner breakdown, and only a qualified technician to diagnose the problem. Frequent failure, however, is probably your HVAC system’s way of telling you that you need a new cooling unit.
R-22 Refrigerant
The Environmental Protection Agency’s banning of ozone-depleting refrigerants, particularly hydrochlorofluorocarbons, began in 2010. R-22, the standard AC refrigerant in America for the longest time, is one of them. If you do not upgrade your air conditioner by 2020, its maintenance cost will soar since technicians will have to rely on stockpiled or recycled R-22 supplies.
The financially sensible and moral thing to do is to replace your environmentally harmful HVAC unit with a greener one. While R-410A, the best alternative to R-22, can contribute to climate change, its lack of chlorine makes it safe for the ozone layer.
Consult a reliable technician to determine the condition of your central air conditioning system. Weigh the pros and cons of keeping your current AC to make an informed decision.
