Is an air conditioner worth fixing?

Due to the new carbon tax, synthetic greenhouse gas levy have to be taken into account when deciding to repair or replace an air conditioner.  Some refrigerants have doubled in price and R22 (usually the older systems) is on a phase out which means this refrigerant is also rising in price due to availability becoming less and less.  Some of the questions that you need to ask yourself is

1. Age of the system.

2. Availability of parts for the system.

3. General condition of the system.

4. Energy efficiency of the old system.

5. Cost of the refrigerant and labour costs to repair.

The older systems did not have to comply with MEPS  (minimum energy performance standard) and therefore probably use more electricity due to the age and the fact that they were very mechanical and basic.  The new systems have to comply with MEPS and these systems can save you up to 30% running costs of the unit,  it may become cheaper to replace the unit because it is less expensive to run.  There is also a proven link between effective maintenance and energy efficiency – periodically maintained equipment consumes less energy, also being better for the environment.

Replacing old systems with new air conditioning units, while costing a little bit more in the beginning will, in the end save money on electricity.

A qualified air conditioning technician is always the best source of information and should be consulted if you have any questions.