Working as a Heating Professional Can Lead to Success

Should You Let Your A/C System Grow Old With You?

28 July 2018

Abbie Wade

A new air conditioning system is a major investment in your home, so it makes sense to get the most out of your new system. You might even be tempted to consider your A/C system to be a life-long investment. While most A/C systems offer only a 15 to 20-year lifespan, it's possible for yours to last for double that lifespan. However, letting your A/C system be long-lived just to save money can come with a few drawbacks.

Air Conditioners Lose Efficiency With Age

The older your air conditioner gets, the more inefficient it'll become due to a variety of factors. Ordinary wear and tear of crucial components makes up most of the nearly-unstoppable decline. By the time your A/C system turns a decade old, it won't have the same level of efficiency it did when it was new out of the box.

Holding on to an older air conditioner past its recommended lifespan means playing a game of diminishing returns. The savings you could get by not buying a new A/C system will be eroded by increased electricity consumption and higher monthly utility costs.

Maintenance Costs Can Outweigh Savings

Regularly scheduled maintenance is essential for keeping any air conditioner in excellent shape. As your air conditioner ages, however, your upkeep costs may also increase. According to recent figures from HomeAdvisor, a typical homeowner pays anywhere from $75 to a whopping $1,200 for A/C repair, with most homeowners paying an average of $342.

As time goes on, the cost of maintaining an older A/C system can eventually eclipse the purchase price of a brand-new system. The initial savings you enjoyed by holding on to your current system could be wiped out by a steep repair bill, making the purchase of a new A/C system more worthwhile.

Older Units Offer Limited Potential

Unlike most other appliances, air conditioning systems do offer a limited upgrade path. Depending on the type of system you own, you can retrofit your current A/C system with some of the latest improvements in air conditioning technology. For example, you can swap out your A/C system's single-stage blower motor for one that features variable-speed control for quieter and more efficient airflow.

Unfortunately, there's only so far you can go with a piece-meal A/C system upgrade. While these upgrades do provide marginal improvements in comfort and efficiency, they'll never be as effective as a complete A/C system replacement. There are also other technologies that are only available with brand-new systems, making an eventual replacement necessary if you want to reap the full benefits.

For more information about the benefits of a new air conditioning installation, contact a local HVAC company. 

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