Kyle

I have a 20 year old furnace that I think that I should have replaced before winter hits. My A/C is probably close to 15-20 years old, but I am not sure that I really need to replace that yet. The way I see it, having a funrace go out in the middle of winter is worse than having the A/C go out in the summer.

I have been told that I would save about $300 in labor if I get the A/C unit replaced. I would rather wait until the one I have now breaks before replacing it. One company told me they would not install one without the other, and the other company said that matching the systems would be best, but not required.

I just can't understand why replacement of both is advised, especially since they don't tyically have the same lifespans...

I would appreciate any and all responses.

Thank you.

fridgeman

catch 22 mate.....if you dont replace the A/C it will break next sumer lol.. always the way....As long as you getting around the 7 - 12 max degrees C air off the coil on around 20 degrees c ambient then thats working o.k m8.

HVACDave

There is no hard and fast rule that you have to replace your A/C when you change your furnace. In my experience, in replacing equipment I would say that it is far more common to replace each item individually than both at the same time.
There are some advantages to changing both at once. It allows the installer to match equipment to best meet your needs, as well as allows for making the necessary ductwork provisions for both pieces of equipment at once so that you dont have to try and make the new A/C coil fit later, if your discharge duct is perhaps a bit smaller than your coil footprint.
I suspect you are trying to be sold both units at once so that the company can maximize thier profit line in this instance. They can likely replace both your furnace and your A/C in the same day, instead of doing both separately in 2 different days, tying up an installer for essentially 2 days instead of one. They are trying to lure you in by offering you the $300 savings, which may be an advantage, but if you don't want to spend the cash, then I would risk sticking with your old A/C for now.
If there are other considerations which they are offering, such as higher efficiency units that are drawing less power, then changing the A/C sooner may be a consideration. If this is so, you will want to get some data on the SEER(seasonal energy efficiency rating)of both your old unit as well as the new unit they are selling.All new units are now required to have a SEER rating of at least 13 and your old unit would likely have a rating of 10 which should translate into about a 30% savings in electrical consumption per year for the A/C. You can also purchase higher SEER value equipment than the standard, which will deliver even greater efficiencies, but of course will also have a higher price tag.

Hope this helps,
Dave