Energy Efficient Air Conditioning - Upgrade Your Home Now

Whether you believe in man made global warming or not, we can all agree that continuing to use old electrical appliances, lights, and air conditioner equipment that are not as energy efficient as newer models is a waste of money and resources. Home owners have options to help them become more energy efficient by replacing outdated equipment with energy efficient choices for our house. The energy crunch heightens our need to become  more energy conscience as much as we can to save money if not to save the planet. Upgrading your air conditioning, lighting and insulation can be expensive but you will save huge money on your energy bills when you consider life-cycle cost of ownership.

The Obama administration is also playing a major part in requiring upgrades to protect the environment. Local and national governments are encouraging you to go for energy efficient cooling systems. They are offering tax credits and grants to homeowners on use of energy saving items such as double and triple pane windows, insulated doors, tankless water heaters, high efficiency furnaces and air conditioners in residential and commercial buildings.

Tax Credits Ease the Sting

Look for a tax credit of up to $300 for upgrading your old builder's grade air conditioning equipment to more energy efficient units. President Obama's stimulus plan will probably increase tax deductions for this equipment. The heating and cooling equipment that qualifies for this kind of tax credit are more expensive than the standard models. Assuming that you save about as much as 30 percent every month on you  energy bills after installing one of these energy efficient air conditioning models, you would end up with savings worth a thousand dollars or more annually. Add to that savings to the tax credit and your total saving over the life span of the equipment will pay for itself and then some..

Savings like this should be enough to prod you into upgrading your air conditioning system. Even if you don't upgrade to the highest efficiency equipment that qualifies for a tax credit, your heating and cooling budget will be significantly reduced with other Energy Star air conditioners. The Energy Star program was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy to  helps consumers identify products that are energy efficient.