Nothing lasts forever, and your home’s HVAC system is no different. Central air is a major investment, and without proper budgeting, you may have to wait to install a new system or get stuck with a financing contract that costs you more money in the long run. When the time comes to replace your heating and cooling equipment, knowing how to save money on a new HVAC system can mean the difference between purchasing something reliable and efficient at a reasonable price and emptying all your savings into a system that wastes energy and doesn’t last.
This article offers tips on shopping for the best HVAC system for your home and ensuring you get the most bang for your buck. At BVS Home Experts, we approach each interaction with our customers honestly and transparently. If you need a reliable HVAC technician in Sugar Land, TX, or the surrounding area, call us today.
Read on to learn how to save money on a new HVAC system!
1. Tax Credits and Local Utility Incentives
Congress has created a tax credit for homeowners who upgrade their HVAC system to a more energy-efficient model to receive up to $3,200 a year until 2032. Purchasing a new Energy Star-certified system is an excellent way to shave loads of money off your upfront costs. Many states and local utility companies also offer rebates and other incentives for switching to high-efficiency systems.
Do some research on your local utility options and see if you can take advantage of the federal tax credit and bundle it with any benefits your state and local utility providers offer.
2. Request an In-Home Consultation
Many HVAC contractors will provide a free quote over the phone or through email. They’ll ask for the square footage of your home and the model or the serial number of your current HVAC unit and make an estimate based solely on that information. Unfortunately, when the technician arrives at your home and sees the state of things in person, the price may become drastically different.
Choose an HVAC company that will send a professional to your property to take measurements, inspect your current equipment, check your home’s ductwork, and test your thermostat. This practice enables the technician to give you a more precise quote, so you won’t get hit with any surprises during the installation.
3. Look for Manufacturer’s Rebates
When learning how to save money on a new HVAC system, you can’t ignore rebates.
Some manufacturers offer rebates on particular makes or models of HVAC systems. Low-efficiency systems that cost less typically won’t have a discount or rebate attached, but high-efficiency air conditioners and furnaces often have cash-back rewards or significant rebates. You can also find offers for financing with a lower interest rate for purchasing more eco-friendly equipment.
4. Save on Energy Costs
The older your HVAC system gets, the more problems it will begin to have. When the system doesn’t run smoothly, it becomes less efficient. The harder the system works to bring your home to the thermostat setting, the more energy it wastes.
Buying a new, high-efficiency HVAC system ensures your energy bills won’t begin to skyrocket anytime soon. High-efficiency systems come with a higher price tag, but the tax credits and years of savings on energy costs and repair bills more than make up for it.
5. Get Your New Furnace and Air Conditioner Installed Together
The best time to buy a new air conditioner is in the spring because the cold season has just ended and HVAC manufacturers will offer discounts and financing incentives. For the same reason, the best time to purchase a new furnace is in the fall. However, if you can afford it, you’ll save the most money and cut installation costs by purchasing them at the same time.
An HVAC company is more likely to offer discounts on your heating and cooling units if you buy them together. Having the technician come to install your air conditioner and furnace on the same day also lowers installation costs.
6. Install a Heat Pump
An air conditioner uses refrigerant to pull heat from the air within your home and distribute it outside, but it can’t bring the heat back in. A furnace burns fuel to create heat and send it through your home’s ductwork. By installing a heat pump, you’ll have one appliance to heat and cool your home.
A heat pump cools your home by extracting heat from the air the same way an air conditioner does, but it also introduces heat to your home by pulling heat from the air outside and bringing it in. Purchasing a heat pump means you don’t have to pay for separate heating and cooling units. They are also much more energy-efficient and don’t use gas or oil to produce heat.
7. Install a Smart Thermostat
With old thermostats, your heating and cooling options were to leave your heater or air conditioner on all day, set them on a simple timer, or shut them off entirely. A smart thermostat enables you to control your HVAC system from a touchscreen remote, smartphone, smart speaker, or tablet. Thanks to modern technology, you can update timers whenever you need to, set specific temperatures for each room in your home, and monitor your energy use.
Your smart thermostat records your energy usage so you can make changes to reduce your carbon footprint and save money. Becoming aware of your energy consumption habits will help you reduce unnecessary use of your heating and cooling system. Homeowners who install smart thermostats experience savings of up to 23% on their utility bills.
Call BVS Home Experts Today!
Knowing how to save money on a new HVAC system is essential for all homeowners who want to keep their houses comfortable. Working with an honest, dependable company is one of the best ways to ensure you get a fair deal on your heating and cooling system.
For HVAC services you can trust, contact our team at BVS Home Experts. Explore our HVAC efficiency tips and call our office in Katy, TX, at 281-809-6417 to schedule an appointment.
Ronald Via
Ronald is one of the key contributors to BVS Home Experts, a family-owned and operated full-service air conditioning and heating company serving the Katy and West Houston areas. With a deep understanding of air conditioning and heating concerns, Ronald brings a wealth of knowledge to our readers.
Depending on your home’s size, layout, and current AC set-up, it can cost anywhere from almost $3,300 to as much as $7,900 for a new AC unit in the Miami area. These are averages. The actual cost will vary from one Florida AC installer to another.
There may be additional fees involved in a new AC installation. If your electricals are old and need replacing, that can drive up the costs. You may need to repair or add new ducts. You might have to create additional zones.
There’s no way to avoid paying thousands for a new AC unit, but you can save some money with a little careful planning and research. Our guide to saving money on a new AC helps point you in the right direction.
While researching and pricing your new AC, people often make a few mistakes. The biggest is thinking that a bigger system will cool your home faster and therefore need to run less often. Are you expecting to save money by getting a system designed for 2,000 square feet when your home is only 1,200 square feet? You’re not alone, this is a common misconception.
What happens is that the AC does cool your home faster, but then it shuts off quickly. You get uneven cooling, a unit that has controls turning off and on more often which wears down the components faster. Plus, you get higher humidity levels because the system doesn’t have time to properly remove humidity. You can end up with mold and mildew issues.
Another mistake is to purchase the smallest size possible in order to save money. If you have 1,500 square feet and purchase a system for a 1,000-square-foot home, you can just turn down the thermostat a bit and save money on a cheaper AC system.
This also doesn’t work. To cool the home effectively, the system will have to run longer, so it’s going to drive up your electricity bills and wear out faster. You’ll end up having to purchase a new AC system long before you expected to need one. As a result, you haven’t saved any money.
You’ll save money in the long run by working with a professional Florida AC installer. Your home’s square footage needs to be carefully calculated, and then the number of windows, amount of shade trees, ceiling heights, and openness of the floor plan all must be weighed to determine the best AC system for your home.
SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. It’s a calculation of the AC unit’s cooling output (measured in hourly BTU) over a season divided by the energy input. A higher number is better. Starting in January 2023, SEER2 ratings came into effect and AC units in Florida must meet the 14.3 (SEER 15) minimum for units under 45,000 BTU or less or 13.8 SEER2 (14.5 SEER) for units 45,000 or higher.
An AC professional will also look at the SEER ratings of systems and explain them to you. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the system is. A higher SEER may cost more at the time of installation, but you’ll have lower electricity bills, so you save money every time it runs.
Are you replacing an existing AC system? Make sure the ducts are inspected first. If there are cracks, holes, or rusted areas, the air ducts must be restored or replaced. If you’re putting in your home’s first central AC system, ducts need to be installed.
You should have them professionally cleaned, too, just in case there are any dead animals, mold issues, or clogs in your existing system. If you don’t do this, your new system isn’t going to run efficiently and may cause unexpected odors.
An effective AC system will keep your home cooler if it’s sealed well. Adding insulation and replacing doors and windows can make a big difference. Some of these measures might be things you can do independently if you have the tools and skills.
There are simple measures that can help boost your new AC’s efficiency. Add honeycomb blinds to help trap the cool air in the home while also keeping the sun from heating a room. Add shade trees to limit the sun’s impact on certain areas of your home when the sun is high in the sky.
Have you considered adding solar panels to your roof? They can reduce your electricity bills, which makes it easier to afford a new AC system in the long run.
Take advantage of rebates from state electricity companies and federal tax incentives. Qualifying air conditioning systems with the appropriate ENERGY STAR rating qualify homeowners for a federal tax credit of up to $600. Pairing a new AC installation with attic insulation upgrades can pair these tax credits giving you up to $3,200 in tax credits each year.
Florida Power & Light (FPL) customers also qualify for an instant rebate of $150 when the new AC system is 15.2 SEER2 or greater. If you pair the AC tax credit and FPL instant rebate, that’s a total of $750 off your new AC system, making it much easier to pay for or finance a new system.
When possible, try to arrange a new AC install for the off-season. The demand for AC repairs and replacements is less common in the winter months, and you might encounter end-of-season sales that help you save money.
If you’re working with a company for the first time, ask if they have coupons or new customer specials. You might qualify for a discount when you become a customer. For example, All Year Cooling offers same-day installs of new AC units to new customers.
The best way to save money on a new central AC system in Florida is by working with a licensed specialist. All Year Cooling is licensed and has 50 years of experience in air conditioning installations, repairs, and maintenance. We know all about the tax incentives and rebates and provide the paperwork you need to qualify for them.
Plus, we work with several financing companies with low-interest rates and special financing plans for up to 60 months. If you don’t qualify with one of those lenders, we also have in-house financing plans that do not require a minimum credit score. Some of the incentives available with our financing partners include:
Cost-free repairs and replacements caused by failures due to normal wear and tear are included.
You receive an instant decision.
A new smart thermostat is included in the installation.
No down payment is required.
All Year Cooling’s customers have one more way to save money. Refer your friends and family to our AC installation and repair services. When they work with us, you get $50 in cash. Our Cool Cash Rewards Club is free to all customers.