Many factors determine how often air filters should be changed. Equipment efficiency declines if you wait too long and operating costs increase. Replacing your air conditioner filter too often can be a waste of your hard earned money, especially if you are using an expensive type of filter. A possible solution to this is to use electrostatic filters which you clean and reuse.

Remember that the more efficient your air conditioner filter is the more often it will have to be changed. Pleated filters are ten to sixty percent efficient and do a good job. Some manufacturers claim efficiencies over sixty percent.

Pleated air conditioner filters should be changed every three to six months depending on how dusty it is where you live. If you live in an area with lots of dust then your filter may need to be changed every couple of months.

If you require more efficient air filtration you may want an electrostatic, electronic or even a HEPA filter. The more efficient the filter is the more often it will have to be cleaned or replaced.

Electrostatic air conditioner filters provide the best combination of value and efficiency. You will pay more for one of these filters than a good quality disposable filter would cost but they are reusable. You just wash them with water when they become dirty and they are ready to use again.

As electronic filters become dirty they loose efficiency but because of the way they are designed, no matter how dirty they become they don't effect air flow. To clean these filters, the collector cells have to be removed and washed with HVAC cleaner or some other chemical cleaner. Electronic air conditioner filters are best at collecting smaller dust particles. These filters require a good pre-filter to collect larger dust particles.

The most efficient filters available for home use are HEPA filters. These filters are extremely efficient but can cause too much restriction to air flow in a heating or cooling unit which can lead to operating problems. These filters should be used only if you require the cleanest air possible and they will need to be changed at least every month and maybe more

If you are using economy panel filters from your local hardware store and getting a pack of four for five or ten dollars, you are not doing yourself, your family or your air conditioning equipment any favours. When it comes to rating filters, these are at the bottom of the list.

These filters do such a poor job you could leave one in your air conditioner for a year and it might not collect enough dust to require changing. The unfortunate thing is the evaporator coil of your air conditioner would need to be cleaned every year to remove the dirt that should have been stopped by the filter.