Should You Repair or Replace Your Air Conditioner? A Homeowner’s Guide
Deciding whether to sink money into an aging air conditioning unit or invest in a brand-new system is one of the most significant financial choices a homeowner faces. When your cooling system stops working during a mid-summer heatwave, the pressure to make a quick decision can be overwhelming. You want to stay cool, but you also want to make a smart, long-term financial investment. The frustration of repeated service calls and rising monthly utility bills is common. Fortunately, there are clear industry standards and simple formulas that can help you determine if a repair is a temporary patch or if a full system replacement is the more cost-effective path forward. The $5,000 Rule: A Simple Decision-Making Tool One of the most reliable ways to evaluate your situation is the HVAC industry’s "$5,000 Rule." This formula helps you weigh the age of your equipment against the cost of the current repair. How it works: Multiply the age of your air conditioning unit (in years) by the e...