During our hot, humid Indiana summers, a reliable air conditioner is a necessity to keep your home cool and comfortable. If your A/C doesn’t seem to work well anymore, you may be wondering how long it will last. There are easy to recognize signs that can help you figure out your air conditioner’s expected life span, and whether it’s time to talk to your HVAC contractor about replacement.
Telltale Clues to Your Air Conditioner’s Life Span
- The A/C’s age – The average air conditioner life span is roughly 15 years. If yours is over 10 years old, you can expect to see a steady loss of cooling capacity and efficiency. Older equipment is more prone to breakdowns too, so necessary repairs are more frequent. By replacing your A/C before these problems escalate, you can save on energy and repair costs and avoid an inconvenient mid-cooling-season equipment failure.
- Poor humidity control – As air moves across the evaporator coil of a well-functioning air conditioner, excess moisture is drawn out and then expelled outdoors via the condensate drain. As an A/C gets older and less efficient at moving air, it’s not able to dehumidify a home as effectively. If you’re experiencing uncomfortably high indoor humidity levels, mold and mildew issues, musty odors and/or damage to wood trim, ceilings and paint, it can be a clear sign that your older A/C is ready for retirement.
- Excessive energy costs – Are your energy consumption and seasonal utility costs rising year after year even though your day-to-day cooling needs haven’t changed? If so, the equipment may be reaching the end of its service life. If it’s an older model, the A/C’s seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) may not provide optimal efficiency either. Replacing an older 10 SEER unit with an new 16 SEER model can cut 60 percent from your annual energy costs. Opting for an efficient Energy Star-rated unit can boost those savings by an additional 15 percent.
If you need help figuring out your air conditioner life span, please contact us today at Meyer’s. We’ve proudly served Griffith, Highland, Gary and the surrounding areas since 1951.