Should You Repair or Replace Your Heating and Cooling System?

To Repair or Replace? That is The Question when it comes to your heating and cooling system. Should you continue to repair an old HVAC system that’s limping along and no longer energy efficient, or should you focus on replacing it with a new energy efficient system?  If your heating and cooling system is more than 10-15 years old and repair costs are over $1,000, it’s wise to think about upgrading to a new energy efficient HVAC system.

Repairing or replacing their HVAC system is a decision a family in Hollywood Park was considering. When their home got chilly the heating system would come on, but only work intermittently. For the most part, it just blew cold air. Cold air in the wintertime is about as comforting as a wet blanket!  

Heating wasn’t the only problem they were having. The air conditioning was limping along, too. In the summer the air conditioner would only cool parts of the home closest to the unit.  It would blast in the master bedroom but the other rooms got left out of the cold. On really hot days, the AC would run all day trying to cool the house which caused their utility bills to skyrocket!  The couple would always dread opening the utility bill, especially in July and August.

Let’s just say their entire HVAC system had more issues than the Kardashians!

That’s when they decided to call Bonney Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Air. Bonney 5-star certified HVAC technician Chris S. came out the next day and was welcomed by Laura B., the owner of the home, who was bundled up with sweaters and blankets at night ever since the heating system broke down.  

Their heating and cooling system was an old Armstrong package unit from 1999. Chris S. performed diagnostic tests on the unit and discovered it had a whole host of problems. Laura said, “I learned so much about our old system from Chris S. and even though I suspected inefficiencies with the old system, I was shocked to learn just how inefficient our old system actually was”. Chris gave them no pressure options for repair, and they also talked about replacing the 18 year old unit.

Laura and Greg talked it over that night and decided to replace their old unit and purchase a new heating and cooling system from Bonney. They were familiar with Bonney’s 5-star service and were excited about getting a shiny new heating and cooling system.  They chose a package unit with a 16 seer rating. The higher the SEER rating, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, the more energy efficient the unit is. The choice of SEER level makes a big difference when buying a new Heating and Air unit. With a 16 Seer rating they also qualified for a $500 rebate from SMUD.

The family appreciated the Bonney e-mail beforehand letting them know who was coming to their home to install their new heating and cooling system. The e-mail includes a photo of the installer, a bio, and customer reviews. The Bonney Installation Team was led by 5-star HVAC installer David L..  The install team arrived right on time and went straight to work on replacing the dilapidated old package unit.

After the Bonney Install Team carefully removed the old HVAC unit and had it hauled off they promptly went to work on installing the new energy efficient American Standard unit. The first thing David L. did was prep the area where the new unit would be installed. He meticulously leveled the ground to make sure it was flat. Then they installed a treated wood border with a gravel base and set the mounting pad. It’s extremely important to have a level ground for a new AC unit. The compressor or the refrigerant lines may be damaged if the unit is not level. The install team, led by David L. carefully placed the new unit down and hooked it up to the home’s electrical panel.

They also had problems with the ductwork in the crawl space. The  crawl space was a muddy mess after all the rain we had in Sacramento  The Bonney Installation Team slipped on their Bonney coveralls, ducked into the crawlspace and slithered on their elbows and knees  through the mud and inspected and replaced the messed up ductwork.   One of the ducts was waterlogged due to the heavy rains and another duct was essentially destroyed. Having torn, dirty or waterlogged ductwork is not energy efficient and can also create a lot of air quality issues that you don’t want your family breathing. Laura B. said, “I am really pleased with the inspection and replacement of our ductwork, which was shockingly inefficient and had major problems that were allowing our hot and cool air to blow out into the world.” 

The couple also loves the new programmable digital thermostat. “We used to wake up in the middle of the night to turn the system down. Now we just schedule the system to turn down automatically with the digital thermostat and we have fewer interruptions while we’re sleeping”. Bonney 5-star Install technician David L. carefully went through step by step on how to use and program the new Honeywell thermostat. Just set it and forget it!

Since the new HVAC system was installed the family’s utility bill has decreased substantially.  Their new HVAC system is quieter too! Whenever their old HVAC system would come on it sounded like a jet airplane taking off.

The family now has a brand new heating and cooling system for their home. It’s quiet, energy efficient, and evenly heats and cools the home. Laura added, “I feel a big sense of relief since our new system was installed by Bonney. I no longer worry about our old unit wasting energy and not cooling or heating the house efficiently. All in all, I am very pleased with the new system and also very satisfied with the help and personal service we received from Bonney.”

If you’re interested in repairing or replacing your heating and cooling system, give Bonney Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Air Conditioning a call at 800-444-0551 or contact us online. One of our customer care representatives would be happy to help you.