3 Signs You Need to “Put Down” Your Air Conditioner

Remember the heart-wrenching final scene of the classic movie Old Yeller? Just like it was hard for Travis to put down Old Yeller (spoilers), it’s also hard to put down your air conditioner. After all, you’ve had some good times together.

OK, maybe we’re exaggerating a bit. But getting a new air conditioner is a big investment, and you may not be sure that you need a new one yet.

Until now.

Here are the 3 surefire signs that your air conditioner is dying, and you need to get a new one.

According to Consumer Reports, every appliance in your home has an expected average lifespan.

A central air conditioner lives on average 15 years. But according to Energy.gov, even if an air conditioner is only 10 years old, you can “save 20% to 40% of your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model.”

If your air conditioner is 10-15 years old (or older), you should start thinking about how to finance a new air conditioner.

Just like with a car, when you start needing frequent expensive repairs, you may start thinking, “Hanging on to this thing isn’t worth it!”

Ask for an assessment from a professional HVAC contractor about the health of the parts that haven't broken down yet. If it looks like the expensive repairs are going to continue in the near future, you’ll save money in the long run by getting a new air conditioner.

As an air conditioner gets older and reaches its final moments, it wastes energy and becomes inefficient.

Signs your air conditioner is running inefficiently include:

• Higher utility bills over time (make sure your usage isn’t the problem)
• Consistently running longer than normal to cool your home
• No longer providing the same amount of comfort it used to

Like we said before, we know buying and installing a new AC is a big investment. You just need some help making the first step.