Repair My Air Conditioner - Should I Buy a New Unit or Get it Repaired

With a price tag ranging from two to five thousand dollars, an air conditioning unit is one of the most significant purchases a homeowner can make. In fact, it is more than a purchase, it is an investment in the value of your home. During the summer and winter, when your A/C unit has to work over time to cool or warm your house to a comfortable temperature, it generates a lot of heat and friction and this is when it is most likely to suffer a breakdown.

When this happens, it can be difficult to know what to do. Should you buy a new unit or get it repaired. There are a lot of factors that must be considered in this decision. Here are a few considerations for deciding to repair your air conditioner, or if you are better off replacing the entire unit to achieve greater energy savings, and increase the value of your home. 

 

Cost of Replacement vs. Cost of Repair

Naturally the first and most practical consideration when deciding whether to repair or replace your unit is to examine the costs of each. Clearly if your unit is fairly new, if the cost of getting it repaired is less than the cost of a new unit, you will want to simply repair it. However as the machine ages, its replacement value declines, making it more beneficial to replace the unit. But, the decision is much more in-depth than merely cost. 

What if Your Unit is Old?

As the age of your A/C unit ticks past the ten-year mark, the marginal gain from repairing the unit starts to decrease. Your air conditioner sits outside in the blazing heat and freezing cold. Rain, snow, and bright sun all increase the degradation of the components in your system. While these components are designed to hold up for decades, as the machine ages, repairs will become more and more complicated. More and more parts will need to be completely replaced, and each time you repair it, you can guarantee it will cost increasingly more.

Consider Efficiency

As the industry and technology advances, new air conditioner units become more and more efficient. At some point, replacing your old unit is beneficial solely for the savings you will see in your monthly electricity bills. When deciding whether to repair or replace your unit, you should also consider the energy savings a new unit will give you when analyzing the cost of each option.