Repair or Replace??

Repair or Replace? Knowing whether to replace your air conditioner or just to schedule a service visit can be a tough call. This decision should be made individually, with information specific to the homeowner. Getting all the information you need to perform a cost–benefit analysis is easier than you may think. The Energy Star ® website provides an easy checklist of information needed to make this big decision. Their consumer checklist http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_checklist_consumers provides easy steps to help the homeowner make the decision whether to replace or repair. They also provide an energy yardstick program to help you determine how much energy you are using compared to others in the United States and how you can improve your efficiency. For this calculation, you will need an energy bill handy. It is a slight bit of work to find and enter the data – such as the monthly usage of kWh, but the total costs of your energy bills as well as the climate of your zip code are factored in to estimate about how many days of cooling and heating you may need for a year. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2 is an excellent way of finding out your score. If you receive less than a 5, it is definitely a good idea to install a new heating and cooling unit that is energy star approved.