For those of you that have had a new heat & air system put in recently, did you find your energy costs went way down? We are replacing our 25 year old model ( well over due). I'm trying to look at the bright side , since we have really had to make a financial adjustment , to allow for this expense.
Thanks, we are also adding insulation.
Well, it went down a bit. What really helped was adding insulation and metal siding. It went way down.
Our home was built in 62. When we bought our home in '99 I purchased a home warranty. They replaced the main a/c unit after about 12 months when it finally died. We save about $100 per month right from the start. We changed out the single pane windows for double pane, insulated the attic, installed a vapor barrier, and went from incadecent bulbs to the energy saving flouresent bulbs. We cut our electricity bill by about 60%. Our peak electricity bill dropped from $375 to $160.
We were paying the minimum monthly payment for natural gas during the summer months. We changed out our electric stove top and double ovens for gas stove tops and double ovens. I like cooking on gas much better and it dropped our electricity bill even more, and only raised our gas by enough for us not to be in the minimum payment during the summer.
Good luck to you and yours.
We built our home in 2000. We found out soon after with TX heat that the builder put in heat pumps/furnaces/ductwork that was not capable of keeping up with a 4000 SF home. They were undersized which meant a normal electric bill in the summer was $700.
AFTER spending about $20,000 minimum about 3 yrs later on upgrading the 2 heat pumps, 2 furnaces, some duct work and more insulation,... we've never had an electric bill in the TX heat over $400. That is great for us because we keep ourselves comfortable and don't skimp. It was more than worth it to us now in 2011 with good, quality, efficient units.
Do it.. It hurts to make that purchase but it is worth it in the long run. Get a reputable dealer. We knew someone plus we offered cash and received a discount because he did not have to deal with any loans, credit card fees, etc.
we did see an improvement in our electric and gas bills. Enough to actually notice. our units were 17 yrs old.
I'm talking about 100-150 a month difference.
You should see terrific savings since a/c units now work like computers and are very efficient (and quiet). We saved $65/month and our a/c unit is now both heating and cooling whereas before it was just cooling. You also might ask your server (APS or SRP) to have the system in your home checked for leaks. A technician will come out and pressure test all the ductwork. This program requires you to put a little money up front but you get it back in rebates, more than you have to spend for the check-up. If there are leaks, you pay for the repairs as well, but you certainly don't want to be accidentally cooling your attic! Call your company and ask if they are still offering the program.
Go to a dealer with your furnace and house size info and ask them to make the comparison for you. Our furnace fan went out and the repairman was able to tell us how much we'd save if we upgraded to a newer model. Our furnace is well over 25 years old. As I recall it wasn't a great enough savings for us to invest in a new furnace. We found someone to replace the fan motor.
We had our out door heating pump go out. Our summer bills - Louisiana- was around 336 during the hot months. We got out new unit in in May and saved approx $125 a month! We also saved around 50 during winter. It should drop it!
My parents built their house in 2000 and replaced their unit last year. They haven't had a bill over $250 a month since. Prior to that their bills were well over $500 in the dead of winter and summer...so they have a huge cost savings!
I didn't see enough savings that I could actually see it. Like maybe under 10 a month but I would bet less than that. I even went with a duel stage which at the time was supposed to be soooooo efficient. Then again we were replacing a 10 year old system. I would think it would be different with a 25 year old system.
When we did this several years ago, our electric bill went down $100 per month. I'm sure we need to do it again and I would expect to see similar savings this time.
