4 Old Appliances That Become Money Pits

Home appliances are not cheap, so we often shy away from investing in them. This is very understandable; no one wants to drop hundreds of dollars on unnecessary replacements.

But if your appliances are too old, you could be leaving enough money on the table in monthly bill reductions to pay for the replacement several times over.

Refrigerator

Of all the modern appliances, modern refrigerators are one of the most improved by new technology. In addition to loads of convenience features such as separate temperature compartments and external ice makers that pour cubes right into your glass, new fridges also work far more efficiently than their ancient counterparts.

They have powerful compressors and better temperature monitoring systems. If your refrigerator hails from the 1990s or earlier, you could probably save a sizable chunk of change on your bills by swapping it out for the newer model.

Furnace

The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is in many ways the beating heart of a modern home. With the ability to keep indoor temperatures at a comfortable level regardless of the weather, a well-tuned HVAC is vital to keeping your house habitable.

However, furnaces have a lot of parts between elaborate ductwork, vents, and the core heating unit. Lots of parts means lots of potential problems, leading to mounting maintenance costs on older units. If you find yourself dropping a lot on keeping your older system running, consider buying a new one and saving yourself the hassle.

Washing Machine

Washing your clothes at home instead of at a laundromat is a sign of financial growth and a convenience that many enjoy. However, that convenience comes at a cost when the bills are due.

Older washers are usually top-loaders, which made the engineering easier, but modern models favor a front-load setup. Front-loaders are more energy-efficient and use less water to do the same amount of work.

Washing machines also offer notoriously little opportunity for maintenance that can reduce costs, so replacing with a newer model might be your only option.

Hot Water Heater

Although your furnace is important for keeping your house warm and cozy, your hot water heater is important to many vital daily tasks as well.

After all, no one ever enjoyed a cold shower — or washing a dish with cold water. If your hot water heater is too old, however, you are throwing away money with every shower.

Moreover, newer heaters are more capable of heating up water on the spot instead of relying on large reservoirs of preheated water that can run out if a whole family needs to use it at once.

Working more efficiently and quickly, new water heaters can justify their setup cost in no time at all.

Identifying the appliances you should replace to make your home an efficient machine is an important part of home ownership.

Triage your home appliance needs, replace the oldest and most inefficient first, and watch your bills fall through the floor.

 

Tags: energy inefficient appliances, inefficient appliances

Category: Saving Energy