It’s a fact. The prospect of installing a new central air conditioning system can be scary, particularly when you begin to add up the costs. However, if your air conditioning bills are on the rise every summer, the cost of installing a new, energy-efficient system may be a smarter thing to do in the long term. We’ve highlighted some of the reasons why and how replacing an older central AC system can help you do more than simply save on annual home cooling costs.

Older vs new, energy-efficient AC systems.
Better SEER means better energy savings.

Before getting to the benefits of a new, energy-efficient AC system, it’s important to understand a little more about SEER ratings. SEER is an acronym for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This is a number that indicates how much electricity is required to remove a given amount of heat from an indoor space. The higher the SEER number, the more efficient an AC system is. The most efficient systems have SEER ratings as high as 25. Older AC systems with SEER ratings of 10 and under are still in operation today but using this chart, you can see how much estimated electricity savings you could make by getting a new, higher SEER rated AC system. For example, a 20-year-old air conditioning system could be using up to 6 kWh of electricity to cool an average-sized house. Using the latest AC technologies, the same house could be cooled using as little as 1.71 kWh of electricity by installing a newer AC system with a better SEER rating.

A lot of older AC systems still run on R22 refrigerant, an ozone-depleting refrigerant being phased out of production which will be illegal in the US by 2020. If your older system develops a leak, you’ll need to upgrade to a system using a more environmentally safe refrigerant, R410A. All new AC systems run on R4120A.

Enjoy a quieter, more energy-efficient home cooling system - The latest AC systems generate only 68 decibels of sound, which is approximately 1/20th of the noise generated by an older system.

Remember - Correct AC system sizing for your living space is critical.

Even if you install the latest AC system with the best SEER ratings, any new central air conditioning system must be properly sized and installed to make the most of its efficiency. Oversized AC systems result in shorter cycles that prevent proper dehumidification, making your house feel cool but clammy. Undersized AC systems are overworked to cool any spaces, potentially causing premature wear and tear, overheating and a not-very-cool house on hot summer days.

If you want to save more on annual energy costs by installing a new, properly sized central air conditioning system, our team of home cooling experts are always ready to help. Give us a call today!