The time is now to get your A/C replaced

[truthwillsetyoufree]

Our downstairs A/C system is the original one put in when the house was built (16 yrs old), so it was just a matter of time before it failed. When our A/C guy came out to check our heaters for the winter, he discovered that our evaporator coil was leaking freon and would need to be replaced. Given the age of the system, he recommended replacing the whole thing. As it turns out, they ordinarily give a 10% discount for A/C replacement in the fall, the slow time of the year. When I equivocated about doing the total system replacement, instead of just the coil, he called the manager who was willing to knock more off the price because things are especially slow this year with the down economy. With the additional reduction, my new 4 ton downstairs unit will actually cost less than the 3 ton unit of the same model that I bought a couple of years ago. To top it off, I found out that high efficiency units (greater than 16 SEER) qualify for a 30% tax credit off 2009 taxes capped at $1500. Since my new one is the highest efficiency on the market (a Lennox 21 SEER), it easily qualifies. My summer electric bill dropped from over $300 to a little over $200 when I replaced the upstairs unit (which was formerly a 9 SEER) with a 21 SEER a couple of years ago. I expect a similar savings again.

The moral to the story is, if you are considering an A/C replacement, there's no time like the present! :)

[Wilson]

Which a/c company did you use? Our upstairs unit went out a couple of months ago and we had to replace the thingy in the attic plus the outside thingy. We used Larkins and I still feel really good about the prices and service. The downstairs unit still needs to be replaced but we were hoping to wait a few more months (the last half of this year has been filled with expensive home repairs :(). The good news is that our upstairs unit went out and our electric bill went from near $700 last August to $286 this August! I knew those things were inefficient builder-grade crap, but sheesh.

We went with more SEER & a 1/2 bigger unit for upstairs, and I'm sure we'll upgrade the downstairs also, but I don't know what we'll end up with. That's good to know about the tax credits.

[truthwillsetyoufree]

We use Easco A/C out of Conroe. They are one of the few authorized Lennox dealers out this way. Now, I won't kid you, the 21 SEER units aren't cheap -- for a 4 ton with the deal it ran $6600, but we'll get $1500 from Uncle Sam to bring the cost down to $5100. I figure about $500 savings per year for 10 years and it pays for itself. Also, these units don't work as hard as the old kind because they have 2 speed compressors that run at the low speed a lot of the time. So, it's not far fetched to get more than 15 yrs out of one.

BTW, we have a 3 ton upstairs and we're getting the 4 ton for downstairs.

FWIW, if you bought the same 4 ton unit in the summer and without a tax rebate, it would cost you about $8000 (The 3 ton runs about $7000, if I remember right). That's why it's a good idea to do it when business is slow and why I'm thankful that the Obama administration had the good sense to put home efficiency installers back to work by doing the tax cut and saving the US energy while helping the environment at the same time. Shoot, I'd give him the Nobel for that! LOL.

Which a/c company did you use? Our upstairs unit went out a couple of months ago and we had to replace the thingy in the attic plus the outside thingy. We used Larkins and I still feel really good about the prices and service. The downstairs unit still needs to be replaced but we were hoping to wait a few more months (the last half of this year has been filled with expensive home repairs :(). The good news is that our upstairs unit went out and our electric bill went from near $700 last August to $286 this August! I knew those things were inefficient builder-grade crap, but sheesh.

We went with more SEER & a 1/2 bigger unit for upstairs, and I'm sure we'll upgrade the downstairs also, but I don't know what we'll end up with. That's good to know about the tax credits.

[cgwoolf]

But you must buy this year in order to get the credit from the govt, correct?

[Wilson]

Thanks again for the info!

[truthwillsetyoufree]

On the EPA Energy Star site it says this year or in 2010:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index#c3


But you must buy this year in order to get the credit from the govt, correct?

[natvtxn]

Aren't the ones you get now only non-freon?

[IndianSpringsGuy]

Not sure about 2009 tax laws. They are changing like they do every year on energy credits. Hopefully the guy knew what he was talking about. A company tried to con me earlier this year and I discovered it when I did some comparisons. I was getting the deal of a lifetime according to them. I suspect the credit will be true for 2009.

[mdonn76405]

I got conned also. Some one told me I could get a discount on my Home Owners Insurance.
Something about Fire rating.

State Farm told me that most all the Insurance companies did not allow that discount.

I guess it pays to do your research first.