When should you retire an air-conditioning system?

Maintaining an old air-conditioning system may keep it working, but it won’t lower your energy bills like an energy efficient replacement.

Given that it costs money to upgrade your air-con, you should replace your unit when it reaches the end of its economic life. According to the NSW OEH:

• a single-room air-conditioning unit (up to 10kW) has an economic life of 7-10 years
• a standalone packaged air-conditioning unit (10kW-100kW) has an economic life of 10-15 years.^[1]

If your air conditioner is becoming inefficient or hard to maintain, you may need to replace it before this time. Your HVAC technician or EcoSmart Electrician can advise you on this.

There are 11 million split-system air-conditioning systems in Australia. Each year, 500,000 of them reach the end of their life.^[2] Replacing your air-conditioning units with energy efficient alternatives represents an excellent opportunity to save money.

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