Staying cool is expensive. In a hot climate like Texas, the average family spends about $600 a year on cooling. In the Midwest, it’s about $300. But costs vary a lot within regions and even within a single neighborhood. Your home may cost $700 to keep cool while a similar home next door costs half that. This article will help you make your home the low-cost energy leader on the block. Our focus is on cutting cooling costs, but many of these tips will save you money on your heating too. We include upfront costs and payback for each of our tips, but the actual figures depend on your individual house, region, climate, living habits and electric rates. Replacing a 10-year-old window or central AC unit with an Energy Star model can cut your cooling costs by 30 to 50 percent and save you enough over the new unit’s lifetime to offset its purchase price. true if you live in a hot, humid climate. Central AC units are rated for efficiency

according to their Seasonal Energy- units are rated according to their SEER/EER rating is listed on the Energy number, the more efficient the unit. you double your SEER (or EER), you can cut your AC operating costs in half. find the rating on an older unit, check the data label or plug the model number into the online CEE-ARI database at < href="http://www.energystar.gov">energystar.gov on the Central Air Conditioners page. are required by law to have a SEER of at least 13 and an EER of 8. Central AC units manufactured from 1992 through 2005 have a SEER of about a 10, and older models are at 6 or 7. COST: Window units range from $250 for 6,000 BTUs to $750 for 24,000 BTUs. Replacing an old central-air system typically costs about $3,000, but it can run as high as $10,000. PAYBACK: The older your system and the more you use it, the larger your energy savings will be with a new unit. For example, replacing an ancient

SEER 7 unit with a SEER 14.5 unit that costs $3,000 will save you about $700 a year and pay for itself in five years. Calculate your payback with the AC savings Buy an Energy Star–rated central AC unit with a SEER of 14 or higher (especially if you use your AC a lot). Buy the right-size central AC unit by making sure your contractor performs a thorough cooling load analysis on your home. how to reduce noise from ac unit contractors simply choose a unitwall air conditioner units canada that’s the same size as the old one.how much does an outside ac unit weigh In many cases, the old one is oversized, so it wastes electricity. Replace the entire unit, not just the

replace the inside coil and/or blower fan, you won’t get the rated Buy a unit with eco-friendly coolant (R41A “Puron”) since R22 (Freon) will be phased out of production in 2010. If you get stuck with an old Freon unit, recharging the system will be very expensive (not to mention Use the Energy Star savings calculator at energystar.gov to figure out whether it makes financial sense to replace your AC, and get a list of the most energy-efficient AC units. Check for local, state and federal rebates on higher efficiency units at If you live in the Southeastern United States, consider a heat pump, which moves air more efficiently than a conventional AC unit in areas with high humidity. live in the Southwest, consider an evaporative “swamp” cooler, which uses 75 percent less energy than conventional AC and costs about half as much to install. For more information, go to energystar.gov.

“My neighbor complained for years that my 22-year-old AC unit was tooTo keep the peace, I decided toThe old unit turned out to beThe new unit is a SEER 14My neighbor is now happy and so am I—my summer electric bills are half of what I was spending with the old unit.” Often, an air conditioner can begin to work slowly or improperly due to being out of coolant and needing a Freon refill. Unfortunately, recharging your AC with Freon gas is not something which can be done by the ordinary do-it-yourselfer. Not only do many local and state governments require permits and special licensing to work with refrigerant, but the machinery to do it is exceptionally expensive. Also, complicating matters, Freon gas is dangerous when it enters the atmosphere so recovery of the old gas is important. For these reasons, it is necessary to have a professional recharge the air conditioner, but professionals mean spending money. So what is the average amount to expect to spend on refilling your refrigerant?

The cost is luckily not extreme, nor should your Freon need to be replaced on a regular basis. For between $100 and $150, you can get a refill which should last for many years. Usually when a professional refills the Freon, he will also check to make sure the system is functioning properly. However, if the Freon needs to be refilled again in less than three years, you may have a leak within the hoses or valves which will need to be sealed. To get the best price on a Freon refill, check for sales during the cooler months when demand is not as high. There are some factors to consider that can either raise or lower the cost of a normal recharge. Companies charge by the pound for a Freon replacement, so the size of your unit and the level of your current refrigerant can skew this average up or down. For a small home, a large AC unit is unnecessary, and the smaller the unit, the less Freon it will need. But, on the other hand, with a large house comes a large air conditioning unit, and this will cost more to refill when it inevitably runs low.