Why NOW Is the Perfect Time to Replace Your Old Air Conditioner

Lots of customers ask me: “Should I repair or replace my air conditioner?”

Since that decision needs to be made on a case-by-case basis, there is not one magic answer.

But I’ll tell you this.

If your AC system is old or inadequate, NOW is the perfect time to replace it.

Here are four important factors to consider when you’re deciding whether to repair or replace your air conditioner:

ONE: How OLD is your air conditioner?

One of the primary determinations in deciding whether it’s better to repair or replace your air conditioner is knowing how old it is.

It’s like asking a personal question, but do you KNOW how old your unit really is?

If you are an organized soul and have a system of household records, you may be able to pull that information up in a second. Most of us, however, aren’t that organized, and I hate to admit it, but the older I get, the more the years slide into each other and dates blur together.

If you’re one of our customers and we installed your system, of course, we can help you with that. But if your system was pre-existing in your home, you may not know its exact age.

Many people guess at the age of their air conditioner, and that can be a problem in realistically determining whether it’s more cost-effective to repair or replace the unit.

To be sure about the age of your ac, look for a little metal tag placed on the right-hand corner of the big cabinet surrounding your equipment outside. The date of manufacture should be there.

Here’s the scoop:

In Florida, because we use our air conditioners every day for most of the year, the average lifespan of a unit is around ten years old. If you’ve performed regular routine maintenance on your unit, you’ve extended the life of your air conditioner and it will probably last 12-14 years.

But every day, new advancements happen. The units are now quieter and more efficient with higher SEER ratings (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) than they were ten years ago. They now use a different refrigerant than they used ten years ago, and it will no longer be possible to obtain the old refrigerate legally. As stores of the old R-22 refrigerant dwindle, the cost of it will go up.

Here are two pieces of advice that are standard in the industry:

• If your unit is past three-quarters of its life expectancy and the repair is more than $1000, give serious consideration to a replacement.
• If your system is more than 8 years old and out of warranty, investigate replacement options and then evaluate that against the cost of repair.

TWO: How often have you had it serviced?

We know that regular maintenance and Precision Tune-Ups, (PTUs), make units last longer. If you’re a ClubOne member who has had those maintenance checks throughout the life of your air conditioner, you may be able to hold off on a replacement.

It’s also important to note that ClubOne members receive a 15% discount on repairs, so that’s another factor to consider when you’re calculating the cost of repair versus replacement.

THREE: Are there signs your air conditioner is ready to kick the bucket?

· Is your air conditioner making more noise than it used to? Do you notice groans or creaks when it starts up? Is it shaking or vibrating a bit? (All are symptoms of aging equipment, similar to aging bodies.)

· Are the humidity levels in your house increasing?

· Do you notice more dust than there used to be?

If you said yes to any of those questions, replacing your air conditioner may be the best bet.

FOUR: Have you done any remodeling or built on any additions?

If you’ve recently remodeled, opened up spaces, or added on an addition, your air conditioner might not be sized appropriately for the increased space.

People often forget that opened areas and increased space may require an air conditioner sized to cool more square footage.

Why NOW is the perfect time to replace your old air conditioner

If you have an older air conditioner, NOW is the perfect time to replace your old air conditioner.

It’s a simple matter of math and money.

ServiceOne is running a BIG DEAL special. You can get $500 OFF the installation of a new air conditioning system or a whole house Halo 5 water filtration system. (Because you know that your water is clean, safe, and uncontaminated. Right?)

ServiceOne also offers rebates on qualifying Daikin equipment. The Daikin Fit system offers a huge rebate of $1,150, but it doesn’t stop there. Rebates ranging from $100-$650 are available for other types of qualifying Daikin systems.

Add our BIG DEAL special to a possible Daikin rebate, and you’ve saved a lot of money!

You may also be eligible for a tax credit on your income tax. A non-business energy credit is 10% of the cost of the equipment, and an “Energy Efficient Home Improvement” tax credit of $300 for installing a new, efficient air conditioner or heat pump.

And guess what?

In addition to the savings listed above, several public utilities offer incentives, too. When you work with one of our project managers, he will help you find out what other incentives are available.

Replacing your old system NOW saves you lots of money. It also saves you stress, worry, and discomfort.

Don’t wait to take advantage of this BIG DEAL special, and just keep on adding the savings when you replace your old air conditioner.