Thinking about installing a new AC unit in your home? There are actually many benefits that you and your family can enjoy when you purchase a new AC unit. Following our research, here are the nine biggest benefits that we found people enjoy when getting a new AC unit.
Better Air Quality in Your Home
Believe it or not, air conditioning does more than just blow cold air out of it. Air conditioners that are made today do a lot to help control the IAQ in your home, which simply stands for indoor air quality.
Having improved air quality in your home is actually one of the major benefits of a new AC unit. Newer units are produced better and feature variable speed motors, which move air throughout your home more efficiently than outdated AC models.
Indoor air quality affects your home greatly. This is true in terms of your health, wallet, and comfort. We will touch on all of these aspects of getting a new air conditioner in your home throughout this article.
One of the main reasons that an outdated air conditioning unit will not do much to improve air quality is because of a dirty filter that won’t allow as much air to flow through it. When you have a new system with a clean filter, the air will move through it easily and it will spread filtered air with fewer pollutants throughout your home.
If your AC unit is otherwise in good condition you can replace the filter on your old to improve air quality.
Amazon has a wide selection of air conditioner filters available.
However, keep in mind that if you actually want your air conditioning unit to improve the air quality in your home, you have to keep up with maintaining it and changing the filter when you need to. Otherwise, your newer AC unit will eventually start to run similarly to how your old one did.
Improved Energy Efficiency
Older AC units need a higher amount of power just to perform at a poorer level than a new AC unit would. A new model will be able to keep your home cooler and will require less energy to do so.
To get a better idea of how energy efficient an AC unit is, you should pay attention to the SEER attached to your system.
SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio
The SEER ratio attached to your system will give you a better idea of how much money you can save when you use that unit.
AC units made today are required to have a SEER rating of 13 or above. So if your AC unit has a SEER rating of below 13, then it is not going to be operating to today’s manufacturing standards of efficiency, which is a sign that you need a new AC unit.
Starting at 13, you won’t be saving any money on your energy bills unless you had an old unit that was not required to be rated at 13 or higher. For each addition number you go higher on your SEER rating, you will be saving more money on your energy bills. At 14 SEER, you will be saving 7% annually, and at 27 SEER you will be saving 48% annually.
Also, having a clean filter that comes with a new machine will allow your air conditioning to run more efficiently as well. If the filter has poor airflow, the AC unit is going to have to work harder to move air through it. This will directly translate to a higher amount of electricity costs.
More Reliable and Warranty
If you have an outdated unit, it is likely that it is only a matter of time before some goes wrong with it. Typically if your AC is any older than 10 years, you should consider yourself lucky and seriously look into purchasing a new unit.
When your AC unit is older, it might not even put out cold air anymore. This is definitely a glaring sign that you need an AC unit, and I’m sure that you don’t need much convincing if you are in this situation. There are multiple reasons that could be behind your air conditioning not putting out cold air, such as a broken compressor or low refrigerant levels.
If the airflow is not great within your home or the area that is home to the AC unit, then that’s another sign that your unit is on its last legs. While professionals may be able to make repairs fixing this, it is worth looking into getting a new unit altogether. Maintenance can be costly depending on what exactly is wrong with the unit, and sometimes getting a new unit altogether will make more sense in terms of finances.
Sounds coming from your air conditioning unit are another bad sign that you need to look into purchasing a new one. Loud sounds such as banging, grinding or rattling can signify that something serious may be wrong such as a belt slipping or a motor issue.
On a newer AC unit, you won’t have to deal with any of these problems, making it more reliable for you and your family to depend on for the warmer days. Just make sure that you keep any new unit properly maintained and get new filters when they need them to keep it working well.
When you get a newer AC unit, you get to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having a warranty associated with the product. If anything goes wrong with the product or it does not perform the way you thought it would, you have the warranty to fall back on.
Save Money on Bills
If you have an older air conditioning unit that is running up the cost of your electricity bill, you may want to look into purchasing a new, more efficient air conditioning unit.
Many people use an AC unit almost every day in their homes.
In some cases they can make up 50% of a home’s electricity costs.
If you have an AC unit that is not doing its job well, you are going to have to use more energy as you try and keep your house cool. This can be because your unit is too small, your unit is too old, or your unit needs servicing.
As we talked about, a new AC unit will be able to operate at a higher level while requiring less energy to do so. Not only will these keep your house nice and cool, but it will also cut down on your energy bills. Let’s be real, who doesn’t want to save money on bills?
A newer AC unit is also going to require less costly repairs to keep it running well. As an air conditioning unit gets older, especially when its age is 10 years or above, the repair costs are going to increase. It will get to the point eventually where it would actually cost you less to get a new unit altogether than it would keep throwing money at your older unit.
This may not apply to everyone but in some cases, purchasing a newer more efficient air conditioning system may come with incentives attached. This is because the newer more energy-efficient systems are better for the environment, so we are encouraged to use a more efficient system to leave less of a footprint. The savings you will be able to achieve will be dependent on the SEER rating attached to the air conditioning unit.
Better Cooling Ability
Getting a new AC unit will do a significant amount to keep your home cool. The parts in a new unit are going to operate much better than an old unit that is on its last legs. Newer AC units are manufactured with better motors and smaller parts to keep them running efficiently and effectively.
New units also use a different kind of refrigerant fluid to keep the air cool. The kind of fluid that old units use is known as R-22, and those units are no longer being manufactured. The new kind of fluid that is used is R-410A, which is better for the environment and will keep your home cooler. If you have an older AC model that uses R-22 fluid, you should get it replaced as soon as you can.
Get a Proper Sized Unit
While you may not realize it, if your AC unit isn’t doing a great job keeping your house cool, your unit may be too small for the amount of space it is trying to cool. Some telltale signs that your AC unit is too small are a higher energy bill, and your home still remaining hot when the AC is running.
Just by installing an air conditioning unit that is the correct size for your home, you can dramatically cut down on your energy costs and keep your home at a more comfortable temperature.
If you get an oversized air conditioning unit that is made to satisfy more square-footage than where you are using it, then the AC unit won’t have to run for a long time to keep that area cool and comfortable. The downside of this is that the air conditioning unit won’t do as much to reduce humidity levels in your home because it won’t be running as much.
You should instead try to get a unit that is just right for the space it will be occupying. Try to think of how much space it will be cooling, how many rooms, and whether you have any other units around your home that will also be keeping you cool.
More Features
New AC units have more features than the older models depending on what kind you get. There is new smart air conditioning technology that may be great for your home if you are interested in the newer technological advancements.
The simple truth is that older air conditioning units were made with the technology of that time period in mind. For that reason, some of the new modern devices will not be compatible with an older AC unit.
When you invest in a new air conditioning unit, you can utilize some great add-ons such as a smart thermostat and a zoning system. These great features can make your air conditioning system work even better, so let’s look into them a little bit.
A smart thermostat will work to learn your home’s patterns in terms of temperature, and it will adjust your heating in cooling, keeping in mind when people are occupying your home and when they aren’t. This will make your heating and cooling more efficient because it won’t be running when no one is around, and it will take the thought out of controlling the heat or cool air because it will do it for you when you’re home.
Similar to a smart thermostat, the major benefit of a zoning system is an increase in efficiency. When you have a zoning system in your home, it will determine which rooms need heat or cool air for you. This can help you keep your air conditioning efforts in the areas where it matters most in your home, saving on energy costs while staying comfortable.
Helps With Allergies
Getting a newer AC unit can do wonders for someone who struggles with allergies. An older AC unit can actually make allergies worse, due to ineffective air circulation and build-up of mold within the unit.
When you get a new AC unit, it will take care of dust, pollen, and mold within your home. This is because there is an air filter within AC units. If that filter is old and worn out, it’s not going to work properly and it will have pollutants stuck in it, which will just blow out of the AC unit.
The filter within the air conditioning unit will work to stop allergen particles from making it through the unit to the inside of your home. For this reason, the air conditioning unit will help to keep allergens out of your lungs and that will help reduce their impact on your allergies.
An air conditioning unit will also reduce the humidity levels within your home. This is often an overlooked factor that contributes to bad allergies, but homes that have high levels of humidity will produce allergens of its own, including mildew, bacteria, and mold.
When you get a new AC unit, it will efficiently balance the levels of humidity within your home, making instances of these allergens less common. If the humidity is really bad within your home, you can also look into getting a dehumidifier.
So yes, an AC unit can help with allergies, but only when it’s installed and maintained properly. Newer or well-maintained units can help filter air and control humidity within your home. These are both important factors that will contribute to how bad your allergies feel.
Reduce Emissions
If you are someone who considers themself environmentally conscious, you may want to consider getting a newer AC unit. The stringent requirements that exist today for HVAC systems have produced far more efficient machines.
When machines run more efficiently, they are going to produce less carbon monoxide emissions. This has become a big focus as now companies have to manufacture machines that are more efficient than they used to be. This helps the consumer because it not only better for the environment, but it reduces our energy costs as well.
Not all machines have the same efficiency, even on the newer models. You should look for a machine that meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines, as they mean that the unit will run about 15% more efficiently.
Newer AC units also use a refrigerant blend that is better for the environment than older models. Older models run on R-22 refrigerant Those models are no longer being made, and the fluid will soon no longer be made as well.
The new refrigerant blend that is being used is called R-410A. The fluid itself has a lower environmental impact than the older fluid. It also works better, as it is a superior heat transference fluid. This will make any machine operating with it work more efficiently than machines that used R-22 refrigerant.
It also comes back to the SEER rating that we talked about earlier. While we were mainly discussing how a higher SEER rating will save you money, it is saving you that money through more efficient operations which is better for the environment. So remember, the higher the SEER rating is, the more you are going to save, and the better your AC unit will be for the environment.
The Bottom Line
There are many benefits associated with getting a new AC unit. They mainly revolve around a more comfortable home, improved efficiency, and durability. If your air conditioning has glaring problems, is 10-15 years old, has a SEER rating below 13, or is running on R-22 refrigerant, you should seriously consider investing in a new air conditioning unit, as it will save you money on bills and improve the comfort within your home.
If your AC is already new but you are finding that it is functioning sub-optimally, then you can check out my article on which way your AC vents should point. In this article, I explain the science behind vent positioning as well as a few other tips and trick to get your AC operating at full capacity.