Why is routine maintenance important?
Just like your car, your home HVAC system requires routine maintenance. Without performing routine maintenance on your car such as oil changes, tire rotations, changing brake pads, etc., your car wouldn’t last 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 tough piece of equipment. It is engineered to withstand all sorts of abuse and keep on running. This is great in most respects, but it can lead to complacency about maintenance.
Consequences of not properly maintaining your HVAC System.
Without regular maintenance, an air conditioner loses about 5% of its original efficiency for each year of operation. This means that the 12 SEER unit that you bought just a few years ago may be functioning like a 9 SEER unit now! The good news is that you can recover most of that lost efficiency through regularly scheduled maintenance. Studies have shown that, with regular tune-ups, a unit will maintain up to 95% of its original efficiency. This means that the cost of a semi-annual tune-up is recovered very quickly in savings on your monthly electric bill and reduced repair costs. A properly serviced air conditioner will also do a better job of dehumidifying your home.
One of the most important items to check is the refrigerant level in the air conditioner. A system that is only 10% low on coolant will cost, on average, 20% more to operate! The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) recommends that coolant levels be checked every year.
Things you can do to help maintain your HVAC System.
There are some things in addition to yearly tune-ups that you can do to help ensure a high level of comfort and proper system operation.
- Buy quality air filters and change them regularly.
- Keep bushes and other materials away from the outside unit of your air conditioner.
- Avoid closing supply air outlets in your house. In almost all cases, closing supply outlets is harmful to the operation of the overall system.
What kind of benefits can you expect from having your air conditioner serviced?
All equipment, even the most reliable, needs routine maintenance. Complicated equipment like today’s air conditioners benefit in many ways from semi-annual maintenance.
- Air conditioners recover much of their lost efficiency.
- They are less likely to suffer a major breakdown.
- They have a longer lifespan.
- They operate for less money.
- They are able to keep you more comfortable, year round.
What are you waiting for? Schedule 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 right now. Precision is currently offering a Preventative Maintenance Program for less than $14 a month!
So for less than $14 a month, you will 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, 5-star service guaranteed, you can’t go wrong.