You’ve probably heard the maxim saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and that’s nowhere more true than when it comes to regular maintenance and servicing of your home’s air conditioner. Home owners need to ensure that their home air conditioning service is carried out in order to reap efficiency benefits.
Cleaning your condenser and evaporation coils, unclogging your filters, and ensuring that your home AC’s refrigerant level is where it’s supposed to be can save you a lot of hassle down the road. At the very least you need your home’s AC checked at least once annually.
Dust and debris are constantly interacting with your AC’s coils and filters, so it’s crucial that an HVAC professional lends a helping hand before those issues develop into the need for major servicing or potentially a new unit.
Regular Maintenance and Servicing are King
When an HVAC professional stops by your home, you can expect to get a comprehensive checkup of your heating and cooling systems as well as an itemization of any issues and ways that you can improve your home’s AC.
Did you that, for instance, a blower not quite functioning up to the manufacturer’s specs can cause airflow issues and reduce the overall efficiency of your AC by as much as 15 percent?
An HVAC professional will check out your blower as well as your cooling system’s refrigerant level since too little refrigerant can lead to higher energy expenses and even a reduction in the overall lifespan of your home air conditioner, according to the heating and cooling experts over at Energy Star.
- Issues to Look Out For
It’s really common for HVAC pros to check out your condensing coils as well as your air filters for dust that may have been accumulating for months of heavy summer usage.
If you notice that your system is taking longer or exerting more effort than it used to getting to a certain temperature, then you may have gunk buildup in your home AC. The accumulation of dirt, debris and particulates on your coils and within your air filters can damage your unit’s efficiency…and, heck, plain damage your unit if left unchecked.
While a lot of newer, more energy-efficient cooling units out there have an easy-to-access filter that slips out right from the front grille – on a conventional through-the-wall or window unit – and allow you to clean your filter yourself, it’s neither safe nor efficient to try your hand at more involved maintenance and servicing jobs.
Are HVAC Maintenance Service Contracts Worth It?
They can be depending on how frequently you use your unit, the length and extent of the contract, and the dependability of your home’s AC.
You can really end up saving a lot of money if your maintenance service contract includes complimentary replacement parts and emergency servicing should you encounter a problem that prevents you from operating your unit in the sweltering summer months.
So, how would this all play out? Most HVAC maintenance service contracts entail an annual checkup and basic tuneup to your home’s cooling system, but other contracts are far more inclusive and helpful should something go wrong. Usually, an HVAC pro will come out to your home to check out your heating system in the late fall and home’s AC during the spring.
If you want a little more coverage, then it might be worth going with a maintenance service contract that covers parts, servicing and labor costs should anything malfunction in your home’s unit.
That can really be a godsend if you desperately need heat in the winter or refreshing cool air in the summer. Contact us to schedule your annual maintenance checkup today to start experiencing more energy efficiency and savings.