Americans take their cooling very seriously. According to Bloomberg, almost 90% of homes in the United States have air conditioning of some kind. If you're in that group, you might wonder when you need to replace your existing unit. Here are some signs that you should contact an air conditioning company so they can replace yours.

Your Energy Bill Has Gone Up

When an air conditioner is struggling to work properly, it uses more energy. As a result, you'll notice that your energy bill will reflect that usage. Keep an eye on your bill, and if it's noticeably gone up and there's been no notice of a rate increase, then your AC could be the culprit. Time to call an air conditioning company and have them install a new unit.

Bad Smells Are Coming from It

When your air conditioning unit is running, the air should be clean. If you notice that musty smells are coming out of the vents, that can mean that mold has made its way in. If you smell something burning, then that means something is going wrong inside the unit. If it smells bad, then something could have died in there. You need to have an expert look and replace the unit.

You Hear Loud Noises

Your air conditioner should serve as background noise when it's running. If you suddenly hear things like banging and grinding, that can mean something's going wrong mechanically. Don't just wait and hope that the noise stops on its own. You need to have a new unit in soon, especially if there's hot weather coming soon.

The best thing you can do is listen to your gut. If it seems like something's going wrong with the air conditioner, you should have a professional come inspect it. That way, you can install a new unit before the old one stops working. It's better to get a new unit a bit early rather than have real beads of sweat while waiting for the new one to come. That's when being proactive will be worth it.

Are you looking for an air conditioning company in your area? We can do work on your unit or replace it. You can also hire us for your plumbing needs. Contact Hess Mechanical Inc today to learn more.