We were told to replace our 20 year old unit in 2009 while doing some other work. We decided to ride it out. We stopped doing the maintenance and it lasted 15 more years. Then we noticed it could not keep up on.very hot days so we replaced it. Bill went down but no where close to 50%. I would keep it.

I'm an HVAC contractor FWIW. The system is definitely past its expected service life. I would not do any repairs to it in the event it fails outside of a band-aid to keep it cooling until it can be replaced. Even with a base level replacement you will see a ~50% reduction in cooling costs.

Personally I would attempt to ride it out through the summer. October/November & March/April are our shoulder season where you will get the best pricing.

why would you replace something working? No you wait till it dies.

OP, do you have furnace as well? How old is that? If you have a dual system, Furnace with A/C, you typically replace both as they are matched to work together.

At a minimum, I’d try and find a small independent HVAC technician to come out and do a check. The big companies will probably just want to sell you a whole new system but IMO the small independent company may give you a fair assessment. Your AC is beyond typical life though.

Set aside enough money for the replacement now - in savings or money market where it is immediately available (not in a CD).

If it is reliable, then no need to change immediately, but there will always be the risk it totally stops working in July or January needing immediate replacement.

In our house the 1968-era HVAC was still working in 2010 when we replaced it during a remodel. The older HVAC systems that have survived until now were better built.

Just wait until it breaks and save up with the anticipation of it.

Anonymous wrote:Do you have it serviced regularly? Our old house's furnace was original to the house and was 40 years old when we moved (and sold for a few thousand over asking, shockingly) - we had a company come and service it 2x a year and the techs always told us that they don't make them like they used to and they thought we should keep it running for as long as we could.

A furnace and an ac are quite different. Oil furnaces can last 30+ years, easily. It’s unusual for AC to last that long. My hvac technician says mine is the oldest he’s ever seen, at 40.

We waited until ours broke. It was 22 years old. New unit was $9,700 installed and I’ve used it a few times this month. It’s part of home maintenance so it is what it is. I would not replace proactively.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We replaced an old one recently and the efficiency of newer model saved us almost half our electric bill.

A new AC is never going to pay for itself in electric-bill savings, once you consider that you’re probably going to have to buy yet another system sooner than you otherwise would have when the new one finally breaks. Especially if it’s true that they don’t make them like they used to.

That’s not what he said though. He said it cut his bills in half. If the old unit was 10 seer and the new one is 19-20, he’s right.

Anonymous wrote:We replaced an old one recently and the efficiency of newer model saved us almost half our electric bill.

A new AC is never going to pay for itself in electric-bill savings, once you consider that you’re probably going to have to buy yet another system sooner than you otherwise would have when the new one finally breaks. Especially if it’s true that they don’t make them like they used to.

Mine is 40 yo. A new one is $8,000.
I’m going to wait until it stops working, and save the money for new one.

I’m in the same boat. I think I’m going to do it this spring. It supposed to be a very strong El Niño this summer. If you do it, I’ll replace with a top of the line communicatingvariable speed ac or heat pump and matching condensing furnace. For something in the mail from Moco for $1500 rebate on heat pumps.

We replaced an old one recently and the efficiency of newer model saved us almost half our electric bill.

Do you have it serviced regularly? Our old house's furnace was original to the house and was 40 years old when we moved (and sold for a few thousand over asking, shockingly) - we had a company come and service it 2x a year and the techs always told us that they don't make them like they used to and they thought we should keep it running for as long as we could.

or keep it running until it dies? original ac and house was built in 1992.