Originally Posted by Lubener
Originally Posted by Amkeer
The problem with not doing a planned replacement on a critical piece of equipment, especially in Florida, is it will break at the worst possible time. When that happens you are stuck and at the mercy of not only the person repairing but the people selling the system. Right now if your system breaks and needs to be replaced its about 2-3 weeks out for the new install. Being that everyone is busy you will not get a good deal on a system unlike planning it.
I get the same responses with people with the roof. They believe if they don't see a leak don't replace it. By the time you see a leak in a home it has been leaking a long time. Roof leaks combined with wood equals rot, mold and termites.
If I pay $6500 for a new efficient system that lasts 12 years at a planned replacement that works out to $542 a year or $45 dollars a month. If you take the savings of efficiency in a 10 seer, 13 seer to a 17 seer system you will save about $15-$30 per month depending on use. Since system will degrade over time and efficiency is lost lets just use $12 a month. If you use $12 a month you would realize a savings of $1728 over a 12 year period which equates to the system that is $6500 actually being closer to $4742.
The newer systems are more efficient, keep the air cleaner and are a better value over the long term. Trane has a Hyperion cabinet that is built like a refrigerator box with 1" foam core. The advantages of this setup is huge especially if the air handler is in the attic or garage.
Your figures are just generalizations. There's no way you can figure out ROI for someone without seeing their home. Insulation, window quality, home location and home style all come into play. I believe your proposed savings are on the inflated side.Your calculations wouldn't apply to most who only use their A/C for four months out of the year. In most cases with an A/C system upgrade is a furnance up grade too which has to be figured in. I would have to do some hard thinking to renew an A/C system onto an old furnance.
Actually the figures I gave are fairly conservative. If you have the same windows, insulation, etc. with the old system and the new it applies. As mentioned my calculations are based on a home in Florida.