When To Replace My Heating Or Cooling Equipment

Nothing lasts forever…not even your home comfort equipment.

A boiler might last 20 years – a high-efficiency furnace 15. A conventional water heater? About 10 years, with a tankless water heater nearly doubling that lifespan.

The point here is that eventually, as a homeowner, you’re going to have to make an investment in new heating and cooling equipment. But when should you do it? That’s the million dollar question.

Or perhaps the $1,250 question (we’ll get to that in a minute).

Performance matters

The truth is, the time to upgrade your appliances really isn’t when they start failing – by that point, your equipment has most likely logged a lot of miles and is already losing efficiency year by year (especially if you haven’t been maintaining your equipment regularly). A furnace, for example, could lose as much as 40 percent efficiency as it limps toward its demise – which means that 40 percent of the money that you’re paying to heat your home goes right out the window (or up the flue, as the case may be).

The best time to replace your home comfort is usually before regular repairs start, and before efficiency starts to flag. Annual inspections and tune-ups from a trained HVAC professional will help you to decide when installing new equipment becomes a more reasonable option than repairing or continuing to maintain it.

Incentives matter, too

While improvements in performance are a key reason to opt to replace rather than repair your equipment, rebates and other incentives can really tip the scales in favor of the former. Here in Massachusetts, Mass Save rebates can save you a bundle on equipment ranging from full oil heating systems to smart thermostats and water heaters (right now, you could save $1,250 on a heating and cooling system for your home, for example – but only while funding lasts).

The bottom line

When it comes to choosing whether to repair or replace your heating or cooling equipment, a lot of factors come into play – the age of your equipment, its performance, and your budget, to name a few. That’s why it’s so important to have a trusted heating and cooling contractor to help you decide what’s right for you.

At Scott Williams, we pride ourselves in helping you make choices about your home comfort equipment that make sense for your home and family, giving you the information you need to make an informed decision that you can live with for years.

To learn more about heating and cooling installations in the South Shore of Massachusetts – including Mass Save and MEMA rebates that could save you hundreds on equipment upgrades – contact the pros at Scott Williams today. We’ll help you choose equipment that’s right for you, then install it quickly and correctly so you can enjoy more comfort than ever at home.