Tips on Buying a New Furnace and Air Conditioner Together

Thinking about buying a new furnace and air conditioner? Your heating and cooling system is crucial to the overall comfort of your home.

When one unit fails, you might want to consider replacing them together, especially if both pieces of equipment are older. Taking this approach will help you conserve energy and save money.

HVAC systems are complicated to repair and install, which is why it’s best to seek help from professionals. Learn more about HVAC repair and contact Professional Services if you need help.

Why Should You Purchase an Air Conditioner and Furnace Together?

Have you ever had to repair a part on your car only for another related part to fail shortly thereafter? Cars are complex machines, with all of their parts working together to keep the car moving. When you have a new part installed with significantly different operating characteristics, it can overwork related parts and ultimately lead to them failing.

Similarly, your home’s furnace and air conditioner are complex systems that share some of the same important components. For instance, a gas furnace and an air conditioner system use the same blower (fan), which is used to blow hot air from the furnace throughout your home in the winter and cycle cool air from the air conditioner during the summer.

Replacing one unit without the other sometimes can lead to issues, such as:

Decreased lifespan of your HVAC system – According to experts, when equipment is improperly matched, it affects its longevity. This can lead to premature and frequent breakdowns. On the other hand, with matched equipment, you can expect optimal system performance.

Poor system efficiency – If your old furnace or air conditioner system is lagging behind the new unit, it’ll have to work 10 times harder to keep up. As a result, it will consume more energy than normal, significantly increasing your monthly energy bill.

Is It Necessary to Replace Your Furnace and AC at the Same Time?

No doubt, buying a new furnace and air conditioner together can be quite expensive. Several factors can impact your decision to replace your furnace when buying a new air conditioner or vice versa. Let’s take a close look at the most important ones:

Age

When you’re trying to decide whether to buy a new furnace and air conditioner together, be sure to consider the age of both units. The average lifespan of a well-maintained furnace is approximately 15 to 20 years. A central air conditioning unit can run anywhere between 12 to 15 years before it needs to be replaced.

If your air conditioner system is nearing the end of its lifespan, your furnace is probably on its last leg as well. It makes sense to invest in a new furnace, especially since you’ll likely have to replace it in the next few years anyway.

Replacing both units at the same is like killing two birds with one stone. Having both the air conditioner and the furnace installed by the technician at the same time saves a lot of money on labor.

When winter or summer rolls around, you can have complete confidence in your home’s HVAC system. There’s no better feeling.

Split System Unit

Perhaps you have a split air conditioning system and furnace. If so, chances are you’re going to have to replace both units at the same time, especially if having an efficient furnace and air conditioner is a top priority.

For instance, a split air conditioner comprises two major components – an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The outdoor unit has a condenser coil and a compressor. The indoor unit has an evaporator coil and an air blower.

If you replace your old air conditioning system and invest it in a more modern one with greater efficiency, keep in mind that this split system AC will still use the same blower motor that’s attached to the old furnace. The old blower will prevent you from experiencing the full effects of your new air conditioner. It can also cause a host of premature mechanical problems.

Although the outdoor unit isn’t necessarily connected to the furnace, both units also rely on the same distribution system, which includes the ducts, vents, and plenums. A “mismatched” heating and cooling system will never reach its full performance potential.

Often, homeowners invest in air conditioners with high-efficiency ratings because they can cut their monthly energy bills in half. Matching the best modern furnace or heating system with this high-rated air conditioning system will maximize comfort benefits and boost efficiency.

Compatibility

Summers in Wisconsin can be very humid. Many homeowners are replacing their old air conditioners with two-speed or variable-speed units that are more efficient and better at improving indoor air quality.

These modern variable-speed and two-speed AC units aren’t compatible with traditional single-stage furnaces. The furnace blower fan, which interacts with the air conditioner system as previously discussed, can’t modulate the speed of this type of air conditioner.

The blower fan has to adjust up and down to the speed of the air conditioner system to deliver the right amount of cool air. Only variable speed furnace models will meet the needs of this type of AC unit.

If you don’t plan on buying a standard air conditioning system, you’ll have to invest in a new furnace as well that meets the compatibility standards of a variable-speed or two-speed AC unit.

Get Professional Help Today with HVAC Installation and Maintenance

Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? Heating and cooling systems can be very complex. Buying a new furnace and air conditioner can be overwhelming, especially when you have to decide whether you should purchase them together.

To make the process easier, Professional Services can help you make the best purchasing decisions based on your individual needs so that you don’t waste your hard-earned money when investing in a new HVAC system. Get help from the best HVAC contractors in West Bend and contact us today to schedule an appointment or to speak with one of our experts.