How an HVAC Maintenance Plan Saves You Money

Emergency Maintenance

Here is an all-too-common scenario… After a busy day, you look forward to enjoying a comfortable night’s rest. As you crawl into bed, you suddenly notice that it’s oddly warm in your bedroom. “Perhaps a family member adjusted the thermostat,” you think. So you check the thermostat and turn the temperature setting further down. Ten minutes go by and it still feels warm. In fact, it might be getting even warmer.

What you’ve encountered is an AC problem. More specifically, an AC breakdown problem. The good news is that most HVAC companies now offer 24-hour service. The bad news, however, is that a breakdown is often a costly repair.

Unfortunately, this is the approach most commonly taken by homeowners and businesses. This type of plan is put into place when a preventative maintenance plan (see below) is not chosen. Most often, a preventative maintenance plan is not chosen because of cost. However, the cost of a preventative maintenance plan is almost always less than an emergency repair. This reason for this is simple; by NOT performing scheduled preventative maintenance, early warning signs of failure that are not caught early CAN cause catastrophic equipment failure. These sorts of failures are often outside the scope of repair and may require comprehensive replacement, which can quickly run up the price of getting your HVAC system back online. The lesson to be learned in this situation is that breakdowns like these are easily preventable…

Preventative Maintenance

Just as your vehicle needs regular service to ensure that everything is operating correctly, your heating and cooling equipment should be inspected and adjusted to achieve optimum performance. You might choose to put off that service for your vehicle, but you know that there could be serious consequences in the long run. Similarly, failing to regularly maintain the HVAC system in your home can lead to serious problems. By choosing a preventive maintenance plan, you can take advantage of timely service and get access to important support solutions throughout the year.

HVAC System Optimization

HVAC maintenance enables you to begin each season with reliable and efficient service from your home comfort equipment. You can reap numerous benefits from regular preventative care, including:

• Improved efficiency: annual efficiency loss for normal system use can be 5% or more and a tuneup can counteract this loss.
• Identification of faulty parts: a mechanical system experiences wear over time, and regular HVAC maintenance allows for worn out or broken parts to be repaired or replaced as needed.
• Averting system problems: regular maintenance can reduce the potential for a later breakdown by as much as 95%. While it is impossible to avoid all HVAC system repairs, preventive care can save a lot of money on unanticipated heating and cooling emergencies.
• HVAC safety: heating equipment that operates through the combustion of fuel can pose a safety risk through carbon monoxide (CO) leaks, making annual inspections a crucial safety measure for your household.
• Longevity of equipment: you can expect approximately 14 years of service from a heat pump or air conditioner and approximately 20 years of service from a furnace. Regular maintenance reduces the risk of early equipment failures and costly upgrade requirements.

A maintenance plan allows you to take care of your equipment and identify problems early. You will be able to manage your home comfort levels much more efficiently throughout the year.

What Does a Maintenance Visit Entail?

Preventive maintenance involves a thorough inspection of your system. Your technician will perform various services including:

• Inspecting all parts, noting those that may need to be replaced or repaired
• Lubricating moving parts
• Cleaning blower motors and parts
• Cleaning condenser and evaporator coils in an air conditioner or heat pump
• Inspecting and cleaning drainage systems
• Testing refrigerant levels in an air conditioner or heat pump
• Inspecting and cleaning heat exchangers
• Inspecting and testing pilot and igniter
• Testing electronic components and system controls
• Calibrating thermostat as needed
• Evaluating airflow
• Tightening loose fittings and connections
• Evaluating combustion systems for CO levels

Preventative Maintenance Plans Will Save You Money

You’ve probably heard the saying “Prevention is the best medicine.”  This has proven to be quite true in the case of HVAC maintenance plans. Preventative measures such as regular AC/furnace inspections, air filter replacement, and proactive replacement of components (based on hours/run-time) will allow your HVAC contractor to catch and repair any problems early on and ultimately save you money.

It is easy to forget about maintenance when temperatures are mild and other needs are pressing. However, failure to have your system’s tune-up completed prior to weather changes can lead to unexpected problems. A system that has a failing part, for example, might malfunction during initial use. However, preventive maintenance allows such an issue to be identified and corrected early.

Here at Albritton Heating & Air, we specialize in high value, personalized HVAC services and care about our clients’ well-being. Ultimately, we’re always looking for ways to save our clients money while getting the highest quality service possible. Maintenance plans provide our customers with access to priority service and related benefits. Customers who sign up for our plans can receive discounts on a variety of products and services as well.