Why is routine maintenance important?
Just like a car, your home HVAC system depends on routine maintenance. Without completing routine maintenance on your car such as oil changes, tire rotations, changing brake pads, etc., your car wouldn’t survive that long. The same holds true for your air conditioner and heat pump, they won’t run at peak performance or efficiency and will end up costing you a lot of money in the long run. An air conditioner is a very sturdy piece of machinery. It is made to withstand all sorts of abuse and keep on running. This is preferable in a majority of respects, but it could reinforce complacency about maintenance.
Consequences of not properly maintaining your HVAC system
Without consistent maintenance, an air conditioner loses about 5% of its expected efficiency for each year of operation. This means that the 12 SEER system that you got just a few years ago could be performing like a 9 SEER unit now! The good news is that you can recapture most of that lost efficiency via regularly scheduled maintenance. Studies have demonstrated that with consistent tune-ups a unit will maintain up to 95% of its original efficiency. This means that the price of a semiannual tune-up is made up very quickly in savings on your monthly energy bill and decreased repair costs. A suitably serviced air conditioner will also do a better job of dehumidifying your home.
One of the most important things to check is the refrigerant level in the air conditioner. A system that is only 10% low on coolant will cost around 20% more to operate! The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) suggests that coolant levels be checked every year.
Things you can do to help maintain your HVAC system
There are some things alongside yearly tune-ups that you can do to help ensure a high level of comfort and ideal system operation.
- Buy quality air filters and change them when needed.
- Keep plants and other materials a distance from the external unit of your air conditioner.
- Don’t close supply air outlets in your house. In close to all cases, closing supply outlets is harmful to the efficiency of the overall system.
What kind of improvements can you expect from having your air conditioner maintained by a professional?
All equipment, even the most reliable, needs routine maintenance. Complex technology like today’s air conditioners benefit in different ways from semiannual maintenance.
- Air conditioners recover much of their lost efficiency.
- They are less likely to undergo a severe breakdown.
- They have a longer life span.
- They operate for less money.
- They are able to keep you more comfortable, all year.
What are you waiting for? Request your tune-up now and start saving today!
If you haven’t scheduled routine maintenance on your air conditioner or furnace, there has never been a better time than today.
Join our Comfort Club to have your HVAC system serviced twice a year. Precision schedules and performs our unprecedented 15-Point Air Conditioning Tune-Up before peak energy usage in the summer, and our 26-Point Heating Tune-Up before peak energy usage in the winter, to help keep you cool all summer and warm all winter! With hassle-free scheduling and lightning-fast, five-star service guaranteed, you can’t go wrong.