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Three Tips For Saving Money On A New Air Conditioner

So your central air conditioner has started making a noise indicating it's decided to finally go gently into that good night. With all the technological advancements made in the air conditioning industry, replacing your a/c unit could save you a lot of money on your energy bills. However, it can cost an average of $5,204 to install a new central unit. Here are three ways you can get a replacement unit a little cheaper.

Shop Seasonally

By far, the easiest way to save money on a new air conditioner is to buy it out of season. Strangely enough, the best time to purchase an a/c unit is in August, because retailers feel this is the end of the shopping season for those appliances. Thus, you can find some pretty good sales on them during this time.

However, demand for air conditioners drop significantly during the fall and winter, so you can usually find deals on these appliances anytime between August and February. Additionally, installation fees tend to drop as well because air conditioning installation companies aren't getting as many calls for them.

Look for Incentive and Rebates

There are a couple of ways you can find incentive and rebates on air conditioners. The most obvious place is from the manufacturer. Either visit the manufacturer's website to see if the company is offering any specials or rebates on its products or call a local HVAC company for information on active rebate programs. Lastly, the Energy Star website also has a page listing currently available rebates for a variety of different appliances.

Another place to look is at local, state, or federal government agencies. Sometimes the government will offer a rebate or tax credit for making certain upgrades to your home or buying certain energy efficient products. For instance, you can get a tax credit on your federal taxes of 30 percent the purchase price of various alternative energy products.

You can usually find information about federal tax credits and rebates on the Energy Star or IRS websites. For state incentives, check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.

A third option is to peruse rebate websites that give cash back on purchases you make online for deals. These websites are paid a percentage of the purchase price for referring customers to the listed businesses. They, in turn, give some of that referral money to the customer. Even though the cash back percentage is typically small, it's still money you don't have to pay, and every little bit counts when you're making such a big purchase.

Speaking of cash-back, you can save additional money by purchasing your air conditioner using a credit card that offers cash-back on everything you buy. Again, the percentage may be low, but that's still savings in your pocket.

Ask About Package Deals

If your heater needs to be replaced as well, ask the HVAC companies about package deals for installing both a furnace and a new air conditioning unit. The company may be amendable to giving you a break on installation costs since the crew can usually install both appliances on the same day.

However, you have to be careful about when you purchase your furnace. Even though air conditioning units are cheapest during the winter, furnaces and other heating units are at their most expensive because they are in high demand during this time. If you don't plan carefully, whatever you save on your a/c unit may be eaten up by a higher priced heating unit.

If you're in the market for a new air conditioner and need assistance choosing the right one for your home, contact an HVAC company like United Heating Cooling and Plumbing Inc