Your air conditioning has gone out and you may have to replace it. But as far as you know your heat is still working. Why would you even consider furnace replacement too?

Do You Have To Replace The Furnace When You Replace The AC?

We tend to think of our home’s HVAC system as one thing. But your home’s central furnace and air conditioning has separate components with different functions. Some of them work together, some of them work separately, and some of them are used by both the heating and the cooling system. Because of this interconnectedness, it can be a bad idea to treat these systems as separate from each other.  It’s true that one part of your HVAC is the air conditioner for cooling and another is the furnace for heating. But they use many of the same parts to function, just not at the same time. It seems like common sense that you should only replace the part of the HVAC that is not working properly, but the truth is that’s not always the case. It also may seem like you should only replace your HVAC when it stops working. But thinking that way can actually cost you time and money, and can even be bad for the environment.

1) Cost

It may seem like an unnecessary expense when your AC goes out to also get a furnace replacement or vice versa. But there are a few reasons why it can actually save you money. Labor is always a part of any repair or replacement. Paying a repairman to come out on two separate occasions to replace two different parts of the same system means you have to pay for labor two times.  This is especially important if your unit happens to be in a hard-to-reach area, which drives up labor costs. Also, some of the same parts have to be replaced whether it’s your AC or furnace that has broken down. If you replace the AC and Furnace separately, you end up having to replace those parts twice, increasing repair costs too. And aside from having to pay for labor and parts twice, there’s the precious time it takes to schedule the separate visits and make the separate repairs.

2) Efficiency

Affordable heating and cooling costs are an important part of keeping your bills and expenses down.  But HVACs have a certain lifespan, and they become less and less efficient as they age. This ends up costing you more money every month on your power bill. On top of that, modern HVAC systems are getting more energy efficient all of the time. Modern HVACs are much more efficient than older systems from even just a few years ago. This is measured by the SEER rating for AC and the AFUE rating for the furnace. So even if your furnace seems fine while you’re getting AC replacement services, depending on its age it can save you money in the long run to just go ahead and have your older furnace replaced at the same time.

How Many Years Does HVAC Last?

The lifespan of an AC is usually 10 to 15 years, and for a furnace, it’s usually around 15 to 20.  The older your HVAC gets the more it will start costing you on your power bill and repairs. At a certain point, it saves you money to replace it even if it’s currently functioning. It’s costing you extra every month on your power bill…and another breakdown is probably right around the corner. As a bonus, replacing your heating and cooling system with a much more efficient new and modern HVAC is good for the environment. It will significantly reduce your carbon footprint!

3) Performance

If you take your old and outdated AC or Furnace and try to combine it with a modern, highly efficient one, it usually will decrease the performance of the new unit. In some cases, it will even decrease the performance of both because they weren’t designed to work together. This reduces the performance of your entire system. This will not just show up on your power bill. It can lead to heating and cooling issues, additional repairs, and even shortening the life of the new AC or furnace.

4) Warranty

Warranties are good to have.  They help smooth out unexpected repairs and issues.  But usually, a warranty is for an entire HVAC system, not an individual AC or Furnace.  Because of this, if you make the mistake of individually replacing a furnace or an AC, you may not be able to get a warranty on that new part.  This may even void the warranty on the old part, and so on the entire system. Replacing the entire system allows you to get a full warranty on everything, so you won’t have to worry about a voided warranty.

5) Home Resale Value

One of the things an appraiser looks at is if your HVAC is in good working condition. Also, you can bet that anyone interested in your home will be asking how old the HVAC is and if it is under warranty. If your HVAC has been well maintained, isn’t outdated, and is still under warranty, that’s a big green light to the buyer. This can help get you bids for what your home is really worth!

Bonus: Times You Shouldn’t Have AC And Furnace Replaced At The Same Time

If your entire unit is under 10 years old, under warranty, and functioning well, you probably wouldn’t benefit much from replacing it yet.  It’s usually not until about the 10-year-old mark that replacing the old system really pays off in savings on your power bill and repairs.

How Long Does It Take To Install A New Furnace And Air Conditioner?

The answer to this question depends on exactly what you’re talking about.  Simple furnace or AC unit installation usually takes 4 to 8 hours. But a full HVAC system with ductwork from scratch could easily take three days or more. Serving the Northern Virginia community by heating and cooling Sterling VA homes is part of our mission at Cardinal Plumbing, Heating, and Air. We provide AC and furnace replacement in Sterling, as well as full HVAC replacement services in Sterling. If you have any more questions, just click here or call us at 703-682-8968.