How old is *too old* for an HVAC system? A cost-per-year-of-life guide

There’s no set timing to know when an HVAC has hit its expiration date.A 9-year-old system may be worth replacing if it keeps breaking down or costs a fortune to repair.That said, a 15-year-old system might still be worth keeping if it’s well maintained.Joey Dooley, a general manager at American Residential Services (ARS) in Texas, a national residential HVAC and home services company, says homeowners should look at the bigger picture.“In some cases, an eight- or nine-year-old system makes sense to replace,” he says.

“In other cases, you may have a system that’s 15 years old that still makes sense to keep.We really want to do that analysis and let the homeowner know what the true cost of ownership has been so they can make a decision.”Here’s how to think about HVAC age, repair costs and whether your system is too old to keep fixing.As mentioned above, age can make older systems inefficient, but it’s just one part of the decision.You also have to look at:An older system that has been maintained well may still have life left.

A newer system with bad installation, poor airflow or repeated failures may not.According to ARS, if a repair quote is more than half the cost of a new system and the unit is over a decade old, replacement usually makes more financial sense over the life of the system.It’s not a perfect rule, but it gives you a useful starting point in deciding what’s right for your home.For example, if a new system would cost around $14,000 and the repair is $7,500, that repair may be hard to justify if the system is already past its prime. But if the repair is a few hundred dollars and the system has been reliable, repairing it may still make sense.This is simple math, but it’s an easy way to weigh your options.For example, if your repair costs around $1,000 and gives you about five more years of relative use, give or take, your cost per year is just $200.That said, if you have to repair a bigger part and it costs you $2,000, and your...