Are you thinking about upgrading your air conditioner, and want to save money? That’s great, but make sure you choose a system that does truly save you money, rather than just being cheap to buy.
When talking about the cost of an air conditioning system, the discussion should not be limited to the purchase of the system. Other costs are involved in keeping your home cool: the electricity used to run the A/C each day, as well as the occasional maintenance and repairs. And though something like your monthly electric bill might seem like a small consideration compared to the cost of upgrading your air conditioner, that bill is due hundreds of times over the life of the system. Therefore, its impact on the lifetime costs of owning the air conditioner can be larger than the cost of the system itself.
So, to truly save money, you need to look at how your choice of air conditioner affects all of the relevant costs. Some ways to save money on your total lifetime costs when upgrading your air conditioner:
- Consider high efficiency. One of the main ways people try to save on purchasing an air conditioner is to settle for a model that’s not energy efficient. Though that saves you money today, it starts costing you money tomorrow, and will continue costing you money every day for all the years you own the air conditioner. By paying a little more now for a higher SEER rating, you can usually lower your lifetime costs.
- Value reliability. A quality A/C from a quality manufacturer will likely reduce your future repair costs.
- Consult a professional. Even a great air conditioning system will run inefficiently and wear out quickly if it’s not properly sized and installed.
- Consider alternatives. Heat pumps, especially geothermal models, provide a classic example of lifetime costs: though more expensive to purchase and install, they handle both your air conditioning and heating, and can save you 50-70 percent on such costs for decades to come.
To determine which air conditioning option will save you the most money in the long run, contact Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. We’ve been serving the Dayton area since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about upgrading your air conditioner and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Ace Hardware Home Services services the Ohio’s Miami Valley. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
