Survey Reveals Average Lifespan of Home HVAC Systems

How long should an HVAC system last? How often will there be problems with an HVAC system?

The easy answer to these questions is “It depends.”

But that’s not very helpful. Fortunately, we have some data to look at, courtesy of the 2015 Residential Air Conditioning Consumer Research Summary Report.

Emerson Climate Technologies interviewed more than 1,400 homeowners across the country about their experiences with heating and air conditioning systems. Here’s a summary of some interesting findings from the survey in regard to system longevity, maintenance frequency, issues with HVAC systems and overall satisfaction with HVAC systems:

Age of HVAC System

• 76 percent of homeowners said their HVAC system was more than 10 years old. 55 percent said their HVAC systems range from 10 to 19 years old.
• The average age of HVAC systems at the time of replacement should be at about 12 years old.

Maintenance of HVAC Systems

• On average, respondents said they have maintenance performed on their HVAC systems every 9 months. But there was a big variation in time frames: from “almost monthly” to “more than three years,” to “never.”
• More than half (57 percent) said their HVAC systems require little routine maintenance. 56 percent agree that their HVAC system will operate for a long time without needing to be replaced with proper maintenance.

Issues with HVAC System

• 70 percent of homeowners said they haven’t had any major problems with their HVAC systems in the past two years. 30 percent said they have had one or more major problems with their systems in the past two years.
• 57 percent of recent purchasers who had a major HVAC system failure said they had to get it fixed immediately.

In general, the numbers show that most home heating and cooling systems are reliable and will last a long time. But as you can see with the responses regarding maintenance, it’s very important that system checkups are regular and consistent to prolong the life of your units. As always, when you’re in need of maintenance, service or inspections, contact Daffan Cooling & Heating!