When you’re faced with the question of whether to repair or replace the furnace, heat pump, air conditioner or heating and cooling system in your home, you should consider the below three factors. These .jpg)
factors will help you make the best decision for your situation, and always remember your heating and cooling technician can help. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Life expectancy. Most units will last between 8 to 12 years, after that point they become expensive to repair and begin to break down more often. Also parts are sometimes discontinued which causes them to be more expensive, if not completely unavailable. Consider the age of your equipment and if a unit is 8 to 12+ years old (furnace or heat pump) it is nearing the end of its life expectancy. (Note: You can add at least four years onto this number if you’ve consistently had it professionally maintained during this time!)
Efficiency. Even if you completely restore an aging unit (which is expensive to do!), you will still only have the efficiency that it was rated for when it was manufactured, at best. Newer unit efficiencies, due to constant improvement and increasing government-imposed energy standards, have greatly improved over the past 20 years. In a lot of cases, installing a new heating and/or air conditioning system can pay for itself in energy savings within a relatively short period of time.
Current condition. The condition of your AC unit is the third factor to consider. Take into account the quality of your current unit, number of breakdowns you’ve experienced, and how often your unit has been maintained. If you have not maintained your unit and breakdowns are frequent, replacement should be a serious consideration. In this situation, no matter what the skill of the installer or service technician, there is little that can be done except restore the unit.
So when faced with the decision to repair or replace the heating and/or air conditioning system in your Portland area home, make sure to consider all of these factors. This will help you make an informed decision that is most beneficial to you! If you need help, give us a call! Heat Relief Heating & Cooling serves the Portland, Oregon area.
Sources: www.heatrelieftoday.com
www.inspection-perfection.com
www.energystar.gov