When Should I Replace My AC Unit?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

HVAC is not something people sit up at night and dream about purchasing; however, when it stops working, most families cannot wait to have it repaired.

How Do I Know When My AC Needs to Be Replaced?

The main thing that people look at is age. And when you start to notice cold and hot hotspots in your home, that’s a tell-tell sign that your air conditioner may need maintenance or to be replaced. You may have heard from an AC company that you need to install a 20 SEER unit to solve your air conditioning problems.

However, at Energy Attic, we let clients know that you may be able to save some money and put a lower sear AC unit in. When adding a new AC unit, you should consider your ductwork. You could be paying for cool air, but it’s not even being distributed into your home because of leaky, ductwork, or things of that nature.

So, that’s where at Energy Attic we come in, and we can address the efficiency of your attic. We can save you money on your air conditioning, but we don’t have to install the most top-of-the-line AC unit to do so.

What Should Homeowners With a 10-year-Old AC Do?

Does your AC unit run all the time, or sometimes make weird sounds? When your home ages, just like any appliance, with time, it will age. If you are concerned about your unit, just let our Energy Attic Team know, and we can come to assess it for you.

However, once Summer hits, if you haven’t checked out your AC, it may stop working because it’s low on charge. It’s leaking Freon. As many people know, Freon is so expensive that the average repair bill for many AC companies is $500 to $800. And homeowners are paying this every summer.

My AC Says 70, But My Home Isn’t Cooling Down?

When most homeowners start seeing high energy bills, they immediately think they probably have a problem with their AC which makes sense.

However, there is more that impacts your home’s ability to cool down. People have a high energy bills. Their first reaction is, I have an AC problem. Does your home feel humid? You may need to look into a dehumidifier.

Or, you could have ducts that are dripping. No matter the issue with your AC or in your attic, our Energy Attic team has the years of experience to make your home comfortable just as soon as possible. One of our Energy Attic team members will come to your home and first understand what issues you’re experiencing with your AC.

Then, we’ll inspect your unit and entire attic. When you replace an old, inefficient AC unit, you can save 25 to 30% on utility bills with a new, 14-seer refrigerant.

How Large of an AC Unit Do I Need?

The rule of thumb in Texas is 400 square feet per ton. Across the United States, it’s more like 500, but with our heat here, the new standard is 400. The capacity you need for your home also greatly depends on the specific climate of your city.

For example, 80 degrees can be comfortable in Lubbock, and in Houston can be 72 and uncomfortable. And the only difference is relative humidity. So, not onit install for machines to cool. It’s manual for the home to be a dehumidifier.

If your HVAC system is oversized incorrectly for your home, they don’t do a good job of dehumidifying. They’ll just run and turn off before they pull the moisture out of the air.

So our goal with your house is to look at the AC system and fix the cooling portion of it and address the envelope. So when we’re done, the result will be a comfortable house efficiently cooled within the comfort level you’re looking for, as defined by relative humidity and where our target is about 45 to 55%.

At Energy Attic, we work to move customers from a 14 seer AC, the minimum you can buy, into a 16t seer unit that you might not otherwise buy.