Repair vs Replacing: HVAC Equipment

Replace or Repair? Knowing when to replace your HVAC System.

The choice of repair or replace is always a hard one. When you find yourself faced with the question on whether or not to replace that old inefficient HVAC System it’s hard to find the right answer. So many variables can go into deciding the best route for your family.

Here are a few tips that may make replacing or repairing an easier decision for you!

• ·         There is never a right or wrong answer. Repairing your HVAC system (furnace/air conditioner/heat pump) can save you money in the short term, but long term may cost you more money since you are putting that money into the repair rather than the replacement.
• ·         Installing an Energy Star High Efficient system will save you money right away just in utility bills. Yes the cost of the replacement may have been high, but over time the money you are saving in utilities will more than pay for the system over the course of 10+ years.
• ·         When you find a coil or compressor needs to be replaced, there are many times these repairs can cost upwards of $1,000+. We strongly recommend replacement vs. repair under these circumstances. More so in systems that are 10+ years old.
• ·         If your system is an R-22 system, replacement is probably the better option as the government is phasing out the production of R-22. Just in the last year alone, the cost of R-22 has gone up 300%.

If you do decide to replace, here are a few things you want to look for when replacing.

• ·         Engineering Analysis: You want to find an HVAC company that completes an engineering analysis (Load Calculation) on your home. The design process is the most important process of your HVAC installation. A system that is not designed properly can cause years of headaches down the road because it has been under or over sized, in turn causing premature breakdowns of the HVAC system.
• ·         Comfort Features on the desired heat and air conditioning system of your choice. Comfort features included variable speed motors, a variety of high tech thermostats, Higher Seer rating etc. 
• ·         Efficiency Rating: The higher the SEER rating the more efficient the system.  The SEER rating tells you how efficiently a unit uses electricity: the higher the number, the greater the efficiency. High efficiency units start out at 13 SEER.
• ·         The actual Installation: A properly installed heating and air conditioning system will last 10-15+ years. There are many variables that are taken into account and having a highly experienced HVAC company completing the installation is critical in this process.

Please feel free to ask us about our past installations. We would be more than happy to provide you with our customer feedback, as well as give references to the many happy customers that have become a part of the CJS Heating & Air family. This way you can rest assured, knowing you have chosen the very best team to complete your heating and air conditioning system installation.