With standard maintenance and occasional repairs, an air conditioning unit will work effectively for years. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should keep the same machine until it dies. Instead, air conditioners usually should be upgraded every 10 to 20 years. This is because AC technology progresses at such a fast rate that significant improvements in efficiency are possible after that amount of time.
How much of an improvement can be expected from an upgrade depends on a few factors. One is the efficiency level of the current unit. In general, cheap units aren’t as efficient as more expensive ones even at the time of initial installation. Therefore, if you find that you can afford a substantially better machine, it’s a good idea to have it put in even if the current unit is new. If you would be buying a unit that’s at the same relative level, however, it’s better to wait until the current unit has at least 10 years on it. By then, technology improvements will make even inexpensive units better than the inexpensive units of yesteryear.
Another thing that Air Conditioning contractors in Cape Coral, FL look at is whether the current unit is properly sized. An underpowered air conditioner must cycle on much more often than one that’s the proper size, and this causes energy bills to be much higher than they need to be. If your unit seems to run constantly, that means that it should be replaced with a bigger one. Making this upgrade will lower your energy costs regardless of unit age.
People in small houses often don’t start out with central air conditioning at all. Instead, window units are placed in every room. Usually, the motivation for this strategy is to lower the cost of entry, but the flaw in the plan shows up as soon as the electricity bills arrive. The fact is that window units use far more power per unit of cooling than their bigger and more expensive central-air counterparts. Therefore, a great way to lower your power bills is to get rid of the window units and let Air Conditioning Contractors in Cape Coral FL go ahead and install a central cooling system. Contractors have financing that can make it easy to switch, and over the lifetime of a central system, the power savings can make the investment pay for itself.
