Many Indianapolis homeowners with a broken furnace face the question of whether they should replace the furnace and air conditioner at the same time. Part of the difficulty in the question is many heating, and air conditioning systems are set up differently. However, there are some consistent factors we’ll explore here:
The biggest reason why Indianapolis area homeowners replace their furnace and air conditioner at the same time is labor cost. By replacing the furnace and A/C at the same time, homeowners likely only pay for one day of the installation team’s labor.
The reality is while a furnace or an air conditioner on its own may not require a full day’s labor for an installation team, the project is costed at full-day labor. When you break the furnace and air conditioner into two separate days, you pay for the labor twice.
Financially this translates into likely $1,000 – $2,000 additional cost to replace the two systems at different times.
Age of furnace and A/C equipment is a huge factor whether it’s best to replace together. There is no hard rule, but many HVAC contractors recommend the replacement of both the furnace and air conditioner if the working equipment is greater than ten years old.
Your HVAC Contractor should offer up the age information about your furnace or air conditioner. If you want to check independently, go to Building-Center.org. It has almost every furnace model and serial number nomenclature in an easy-to-use site.
Typically, furnaces and air conditioners (and heat pumps) have a minimum of a 5-year parts warranty. If the HVAC contractor did its job and helped the homeowner during the original installation, the furnace and air conditioning system has a 10-year parts warranty. Also, if it’s an industry-leading Daikin furnace or air conditioner, it has a 12-year parts warranty if registered as required.
When your furnace or air conditioner breaks down and requires replacement, you have several options. Efficiency and comfort features are two of the main concerns for both furnaces and air conditioners.
If you choose to invest in a high-efficiency furnace, it almost certainly will prompt you to invest in a compatible air conditioner to maximize the investment truly. This is because older air conditioners are rarely technically equipped to pair well with a high-efficiency or variable speed furnace. While you would still derive value from the furnace during the winter months, it creates limited benefits during the summer.
It is possible to replace the air conditioner at a later time with a compatible system, of course. Major manufacturers like Daikin, however, continually update and improve their furnace and air conditioner product lines. Ultimately, this innovation creates compatibility issues.
If you plan on moving from your home soon and face the question to replace your furnace and air conditioner at the same time, you’re not alone if you say no. The performance of the equipment is the primary factor in this decision. Home sellers with a working air conditioner commonly choose not to replace it when replacing their furnace.
In the context of a home sale, this is understandable. Selling a home is an expensive process. When an inspector evaluates everything from top to bottom, he likely finds things to repair or replace. Most homeowners choose to wait until a buyer requests a replacement air conditioner, resources to do so, or a home warranty.
If, after reviewing the factors you believe it’s the right time to replace your furnace and air conditioner, we would love the opportunity to serve you. Many homeowners on the fence start the process with a free second opinion from one of our experienced technicians.
We don’t believe in high-pressure sales. Our team is there to counsel and provide the information you need to make your own decision. We’ll present all the pros and cons, answer any questions you have, then get out of the way.
Regardless of the age or status of your HVAC system, we encourage you to take advantage of our heating and air preventative maintenance agreement. It’s convenient and saves you time and money.
Call Homesense at 317-203-8149 or submit an appointment request form today.