Everyone likes to make sure that they get the best deal they can when they are shopping and as a result you may be tempted to only change appliances when they break down and become irreparable. This attitude for the majority of people seems reasonable; after all why pay good money for a new appliance when you have one that works perfectly well at home. Or does it?
You might be shocked to learn that over time many appliances begin to lose efficiency and do not perform as well as they should do. This can often be overlooked as people do get used to how their own appliances work and fail to notice if their air conditioner takes longer to heat up or cool a room down than it used to.
Take refrigerators for example, if it seems to be warmer than normal the usual response would be to just turn down the temperature to make up for the difference. However leaving your air conditioner on for longer or turning down the temperature in your refrigerator means that they are using more electricity to do the same job. And this costs you more money. These are not the only things that can happen with old appliances, here are a few facts that you might not realize about running old and inefficient appliances:
-Refrigerators over 15 years old will run less efficiently than a newer model, in fact an old refrigerator will use, on average up to 40% more electricity to run. Over the course of a year this can add up to a significant amount of money that is wasted simply by your old refrigerator working harder to do the same job it used to with ease.
-Old refrigerators can contain CFCs which are a gas that is harmful to the ozone layer. It was once used in aerosols but its use has been banned in many countries now. One of the main problems with old refrigerators containing CFCs is that they can leak, and when this happens the deadly CFCs are released into the atmosphere and can stay there for up 100 years causing problems continually. In fact CFCs are so dangerous that you must get your old refrigerator disposed of properly in order for it not to be considered a danger to the environment.
-If your air conditioner has leaking air ducts you could be losing as much as 30% efficiency from it which too can add up to a great deal of money during the course of a year. It might be quite costly to change or repair your air conditioner but you will be surprised at how much more efficient your new model is.
-On average household appliances are built to last around 12 years after which they begin to lose efficiency. Do a check on the appliances in your home and see how old they are, you might be surprised at how much extra money is being spent keeping old appliances running.
If you want to begin replacing your old appliances start with the ones you use the most, for most people the refrigerator will top of this list as it is turned on 24-7, replacing this will give the best saving. Then move on to your other appliances. Remember when choosing a new appliance to select one with the Energy Star logo which means that it is energy efficient. For more advice and help with replacing your old refrigeration, air conditioner and freezer units get in touch with your local HVAC technician, who is an expert on bringing the best cooling and heating solutions to residential and commercial customers.
