Repair or To Replace - That is the Question
It's a hot summer morning and you wake up to a house that feels like you left the furnace running all night. Your first instinct is to call for a quick repair job. Repair always seems to be the least expensive way to go. In the long run, replacing you broken system might be the best way to go.
How Do You Decide?
- Age of the system - Typically in Florida a system is expected to last between 7 to 12 years. There are numerous examples of systems that have been running much longer. If your system is reaching the 7 year mark, repairs can become expensive and offers no guarantee that additional problems aren't close behind.
- Cost to repair - If you are looking at spending $400 to over $900 just to repair your old system now may be the time to replace it. Be careful not to throw good money after bad with repairs.
- Cost of operation - Many systems that are 7 to 15 years old have a S.E.E.R. Rating up to 1/2 of current high efficiency systems. That is essentially a 50% savings on electricity, which could add up to $1000.00 or more per year. Paying you back every time you turn it on.
- Warranty - New high efficiency systems offer up to lifetime warranties on compressors and up to 10 years on parts.
- Rebates and Incentives - Equipment manufacturers and utility company rebates along with Federal tax credits, can possibly save you thousands of dollars on high efficiency system replacements.
Between Cost of operation, Federal tax credits, manufacturers and utility rebates, a new system could pay for itself long before the parts warranty runs out. Remember you want to make the best decision, not the cheapest one.