Save Money by Buying a New Air Conditioner Now

Here's a piece from Money magazine that says consumers can save a bundle of money on air conditioning purchases if they buy now. The details:

But if your house doesn't have central air, or if the system you have is about 15 years old (and therefore probably nearing the end of its life span), you should get the job done this winter. Not only will it automatically raise the value of your property, but you'll snag an iceberg-size seasonal discount.

Like many contractors around the country, Wilkos typically knocks 10 percent and sometimes as much as 20 percent off his wintertime bids. That's a savings of up to $3,000 on the $6,000 to $15,000 central AC costs.

This is the old "buy during the off season to get a discount" trick. I guess it really works here -- 20% off is a chunk of change on an AC unit.

For more money saving tips, see these posts:

• Money Saving Tip: Check Your Medical Bills

• Save Money by Asking for a Discount and Paying in Cash

• Save a Bundle on Your Energy Bills, Part 1: Upgrade Your Equipment

• A Practical Way to Save Money on a Hotel Room

Comments

[DebtyBetty]

fans and window AC units too! both of the apartments i've lived in haven't had central air, and I bought two high-powered fans the summer I lived in my first apartment. Six months later in January, those same fans were $15-$20 cheaper. Obviously not as big of a bargain as central AC installation, but still a way to save money for us apartment-dwellers.

[Lord]

Usually heating and air conditioning are handled by the same people, so the best time to do something is spring or fall rather than summer or winter.

[janelle p]

wait until Feb. and the price will probably be lower
a lot of the price is in the amount of copper used hooking up the AC and the price of copper is usually the lowest later in the winter