Summers here and you want to cool your house or condo? Well let me tell you something that’s not-so-secret about air conditioning units.
Recently I had to go to a woman’s house to remove her old air conditioning unit and put a new one in.
Pretty cut-and-dry installation really. Since air conditioners can have a lot of environmental impacts, it’s
important to do the removal of one correctly. I actually had a guy helping me with that. We had to remove the freon from the a/c system, bottle it up specially, and dispose of it properly. There’s all kinds of protocols on that.
Putting in the new unit was pretty easy.
Let me tell you this about air conditioners — the smaller, old air conditioners suck. New air conditioners these days are a lot bigger than the old ones, and when it comes to an a/c unit, the bigger the better. If you have a big air conditioner, you will save so much money.
People don’t think it, but bigger is better with air conditioners. Don’t be cheap when you buy a new a/c because you’ll lose money in the long run. The new ones are big, but they work way more efficiently than the smaller ones.
Crappy, old air conditioning unit from the 1980s
When I checked up on this woman after installing her new a/c she told me that her energy bill had been cut almost
in half (!!) since I put in the new a/c unit. It probably would’ve been even cheaper, but some of that month still had her old a/c unit on the bill.
I sound like a freakin’ salesman here, but if you have a tiny old a/c, then you need to get a new one, a bigger one. This is one case where bigger is better, and you will save so much money and energy!
And the same goes for furnaces. The bigger they are, the more efficiently your home will be heated or cooled.
And while I’m at it, if you change your a/c unit, change your heater too. Do them both, it’s better that way. Sort of like when you go to get your tires changed. You don’t just replace one, you do all four.
You get what you pay for with a/c units and the bigger, the better. Your cooling costs will be cut by a lot!
Excellent info! We will be looking at a new furnace in the next few years and I will keep this in mind. I also enjoyed your Disney post. Love that place – they definitely know what they’re doing
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When is the cross-over point? One year? Two years? I mean….you pay so much money for a big air conditioner, there’s gotta be a point that it’s actually made more for you than the cost. Curious how soon that might be. I suppose it depends on your current conditioner, too.
BTW, what about thermostats? I was reading recently about the automatic touch screen thermostats that’ll detect movement in the room and turn on/off air/heat as needed. Do you have experience with those?
Holy cow that’s a bunch of questions! Sorry. Great topic.
AverageJoe recently posted..7 Financial Hacks to Avoid
It really made a big impact when the IRS allowed for huge credits for energy efficient upgrades too. I believe at the very least the power companies still offer rebates backed by the states that will reduce some of that initial cost as well.
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Thanks for the info TB. I’d think a lot of people would naturally try to go with a less bulky air conditioner. I’d gladly go with a bulkier model if it was going to save more money in the long run.
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It’s hard to tell whether my new unit is more efficient than the old one. I suspect it has to be installed correctly. The company that put it in must not have done the world’s greatest job, because it ran noisy (it’s a heat pump) and I saw zero change in my bills.
Then nothing would do but my son gave me a new and very fancy programmable thermostat (the “Nest” — you’ve gotta see this gadget!). Already knew that this would run up my bills, because the cheaper Honeywell did exactly that. My bills are always lower when I can manually turn the unit off if it’s not needed. Oh well…I couldn’t very well refuse. One does not refuse gifts from sons.
So my May bill was $91 this year, compared to $69 in May 2011 and $73 in 2010, when the decrepit old unit was up there. The house is a little more comfortable, but either the unit is not really any more efficient than the 15-year-old hail-battered clunker, or I need to turn the thermostat higher than 80 degrees during the day.
Now, $91 isn’t bad during a month of 100-degree days. But when you’re busted disgusted & can’t be trusted, $69 is much preferable.
Funny about Money recently posted..Competitive Shopping at the Home Depot
I remember as a kid, my house had this crazy air conditioner that was SO NOISY. My mom always told us that it didn’t work, but I had a theory that it did work and my mom just didn’t want to pay for the crazy energy bill.
Daisy recently posted..Young People & Saving For Retirement
Haha, that might be true! You should ask her now that you’re all growed up.
So my BF has been wanting to get a small AC to put in our little guest room. It’s not connected to another room so would it be worth it to shell out $100 for one of those smaller ones?
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Yes, totally. That’s a time when a little one makes sense. But keep that guest room door closed to make it stay efficient!
That makes sense. A bigger air-conditioner is better and more cost-effective than older ones. Originally, I thought that bigger meant more expensive, and more spending. But just as you’ve stated, it’s what occurs in the long run.
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Love the story TB. My house does not have central air yet. Yup, I use good old fashioned window units. It’s been unseasonably cool so far this year so I only have one AC unit installed.
Take Care…
Justin Mazza recently posted..Do You Suffer From Sheeple Syndrome
We just got one of the floor window units since we don’t have ducts. We are going to try it out.Hopefully it works good.
Miss T @ Prairie EcoThrifter recently posted..The Best Investments For the Over 40s to Start Now
Great tip. I think that this one of those areas that so many people just don’t pay enough attention to. Me included, actually.
Making the investment in the right product can cut bills significantly, which can really add up over time. Sounds like that could beat the rate of return in a savings account
Tie the Money Knot recently posted..Avoiding Gold Diggers Who Marry Primarily For Money
We have a huge one, and couldn’t for the life of me understand why my dad kept insisting it (he sucks at explaining things).
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Haha, well now you know
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