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what does he suggest be done with the old ones?

How old is old? If your new one is replacing a 20-year old model, I would expect it to be a lot more efficient. But what about a 5 or 6 year old model?

This is logical advice for window and central air conditioners, since there are models available with EER's as high as 14. However, try shopping for an energy efficient wall a/c unit. Almost none are available with an EER of 9.5 or higher in or near my sleeve size (24 5/8" X 14 5/8").

I have been doing some reading on this and a new one is quite a bit more efficient than even five year old AC units.
I do however question what they are using to determine the number of months for return on investment. Is that 13 months of summer? At three months a year, that would be more than four years. I always love when they throw out statistics without the details as to how they get the numbers they are promoting.


I am considering a new one because mine is about 5-6 years old, and a new one would be Energy Star compliant, as well as have nice touches like a remote control, timer settings, and digital thermostat. Unfortunately, my lovely casement windows limit the models I have to choose from to about three, and none of them are cheap.

I just bought a new one yesterday. My old one was a 6yr old hand-me-down that we used for 2yrs. It wasn't energy efficient, didn't fit my window properly and was too small to cool my large living space -living room/dining room/office area. We were dying the past few summers and these past few days were unbearable... so it was time.

13 months, how do you figure? any info on the background how they figure this out? I use my Air Conditioner maybe part of June, all of July and all of August. so let's say 2.5 months, So will it recoup in 5-6 years? The AC may not have that long of a life cycle due to parts aging. I also don't use it all day. Maybe 2 or 3 hours a night if it's warm enough. One little heat wave and they are trying to scare people into buying into the economy.

If you do replace your AC make sure to dipose of it properly. It has a lot of refrigerant in it, so you can't just throw it in the dumpster. When you are looking at A/Cs the way to compare the efficiency is the EER, the higher the better.

Cost Savings Analysis:
Electricity costs aprox $.08 kWH - This can vary a lot by state
Cost: $144 (Frig. 6,000 BTU) = 1800 KWH you would have to save to make back your money

If you went from an 8 EER (just picking an EER) to a 10.8 EER (energy star) on a 6000 BTU model you would save aprox 200W per hour running. (EER = BTU/Watts)

To save 1800 KWH, your air conditioner would have to be running for 9000 hours = 375 days (non stop)

If you had started with a 6 EER model it would take you 169 days of non stop running for you to pay off the new AC.

I don't know what numbers they were using to do their calculations, but mine weren't quite as good.

If you live in Hawaii, where electricity is very expensive the payback is a lot quicker then my calculations above. Maybe that was their baseline, unfortunately for me I don't live in Hawaii.

Ha Jinx, I'll move with you :-)

So, all this has me thinking. I had my AC running full throttle last night and I was still feeling a bit warm during the night. Is that just the heatwave, or might my AC be starting to show its age? Its probably 6-8 years old (I inherited it in my first sublet, so unclear). Can they be serviced in any way? Getting energy efficient is definitely good - It feels a little wasteful to throw out a well functioning machine.... I've cleared out the filters on the front....

Anyone know of a good window A/C that can be installed vertically? All the units I've seen are horizontal.

Thanks! I'm actually thinking of buying another air conditioner so this comes right in time!

There are online calculators that help you figure out which BTU is right for you. Although mine is a studio apartment, it's 539 square feet and three-quarters of it is sort like an L-shaped open room, so I went for the 18,000 BTU Friedrich, and I got it from P.C. Richard. Unfortunately, although they delivered it on Saturday morning, their installation truck broke down so I was dying all night.

They do have a "Sunday emergency team" there at the store, which is STILL the same sub-contracted installation company they otherwise use, but on Sunday, you have to pay the guys in cash instead of through P.C. Richard. Same price, though.

They WILL take away your old one, and I don't think I paid them extra for that.

One point I want to make is that not all air conditioners sold at the moment are necessarily Energy Star! Mine was about $1,200 (plus tax, plus installation, plus $45 extra to have them use plexiglas to seal around it, instead of the sad pressed board that would otherwise come with it).

But my same BTU with the same company would be around $500 or so if it were NOT Energy Star! Just be careful, because why replace something old with something new that is NOT more efficient!?

Joy R. - There are few units that are designed to fit vertically, but Frigidair makes one that is pretty decent. The problem is that they are not as inexpensive as the standard horizontal models (which cannot be installed sideways, contrary to what you may have read). It is Energy Star compliant (EER of 10.5), has a digital thermostat, and a remote control. They run about $350.00

Be sure to match the correct BTU to your room. Too high of a BTU and your compressor will not run enough to dehumidify the room, too low and you will never cool the room down. The Energy Star website has some great info on getting the right size for your room...

Also be sure you have enough power for it. I have only a single 20 amp circuit for my entire apartment (the place is 130 years old), so I cannot use my air conditioner and microwave at the same time.

I notice they don't list any Panasonic models. We have two now, and had another 2 at our previous place before we moved (sold them with the apartment).

They have all been super quiet compared to other models we looked at.

They are Energy Star compliant.

For a combination of energy efficiency (cost of ownership), quiet running, reliable, and unit cost, we found them to be the best deal with our last place, and when it came time to shop for our newer apartment a few years ago, we found the same thing.

And they come with a remote (but I think that's pretty standard these days, right?).

Ours models (we have 2 of same):
Panasonic CW-XC104HU
9800 BTUs

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-CW-XC104HU-800-BTU-Air-Conditioner/dp/B0001DHZ2W

devyn - have you found window air conditioners for your casement windows or are you using a standing a/c? i have the horrible luck of having casement windows but have never found anything other than the standing (3' tall x 2 square) and it's a horrible eyesore and isn't that great. if you could share what you've found i'd be forever in your summer debt!!!

Hmm... my 20,000 BTU A/C may be due for a replacement. ACs that size (for a 900 sq ft loft with 11 ft ceilings) are NEVER reviewed, so buying one is always dicey.

ggsix, I am looking at the Frigidaire FAK085R7V (8,000 BTU) at PC Richards (in NYC), they have higher BTU units (10k and 12k) as well. I really like the remote control feature.

Just Google "vertical casement window air conditioner" and there are several models out there (I think the Frigidaire offers the most for the money).