Blogs from September, 2020

If we were to tell you that now is the best time to start thinking about running your air conditioner, you might think we were crazy. Southern California has been battling a number of wildfires and record-breaking heat within the last few weeks, and the trend is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Why would your heater be one of the first things on your mind when your air conditioner is likely working overtime to keep you comfortable right now?

The answer is a simple one: by staying ahead of your HVAC system and preparing for your needs ahead of time, you’ll enjoy better performance, more productivity, and better energy efficiency when it’s time to switch from cooling to heating. And rest assured, that time is coming, even though it may seem like it’s a whole world away at the moment. This is why we strongly recommend beginning to prepare for the heating season and scheduling heating maintenance toward the end of the month of September.

Here are four reasons why you should book your heating maintenance and tune-up appointment this month in order to start preparing for the cool temperatures of winter.

Maintenance Improves Air Quality

If you have gone outside pretty much anywhere in the L.A. area recently, you’ve probably noticed that the air smells an awful lot like a campfire. This is from the high quantity of smoke that’s currently floating through the air, making the air unhealthy to breathe and particularly bad for those with asthma or other respiratory conditions. When indoor air quality is at a premium, maintenance is key. A regular maintenance service not only helps improve with HVAC system performance, but also helps you keep your air quality better so you can breathe easier.

A maintenance service often includes an inspection of your HVAC system’s most important components, including coils, air handlers, fans, and more. If these components are dirty, they could be sending particles into your air, degrading your air quality. By cleaning these components you’ll enjoy better-quality air in addition to improved airflow. Likewise, maintenance also includes an inspection of your HVAC air filter, including changing it if necessary. A clean air filter is absolutely crucial when it comes to your indoor air quality, and your filter will fill up a lot faster during periods of heavy use, such as right now while outdoor air is particularly poor-quality.

Maintenance Avoids Breakdowns

Did you know that your heater is the most likely to break down or stop working during its first cycle of the year? This is because you’re engaging parts and components that have sat completely idle and dormant for quite a few months. As a result, when things creak and groan back to life, anything that sustained too much wear and tear during months of use will likely fail at this point. And that’s not something you want to deal with when it’s already cold outside and you need heat to keep yourself comfortable.

This is why we recommend maintaining your system at the end of summer: nobody really knows when the first cold-weather stint of the year is going to come, and that means you want to be prepared. Should temperatures plummet during October, the last thing you want is to find yourself calling for a heating repair because you simply weren’t prepared. Thus, we recommend having your heater maintained toward the end of summer so your system is prepared for the moment you do need it.

Maintenance Saves Energy

Maintenance also helps you save energy. A system that is properly-prepared and maintained will use far less energy to produce the heat you need. In turn, that means a significantly reduced impact on the environment through reduced greenhouse gas emissions or electrical energy pull from the public utility grid. For those who have solar energy systems, that means reduced consumption of the energy your panels produce, and thus that means you’re less likely to have to pull extra energy from the public grid, which in turn keeps your carbon footprint down.

Maintenance Saves Money

All of the things we’ve discussed previously means that maintenance performed at the end of summer can actually save you a ton of money in the long run. Reduced energy consumption means it costs less to heat your home, and that means you’ll keep more money in your pocket where it belongs. When you consider that your heater and air conditioners are the biggest energy consumers in your home by a long shot, you can see exactly how even a small improvement to your heater’s energy needs can lead to big savings.

Likewise, with maintenance, you also greatly reduce the chances of your system breaking down on you. A broken HVAC system costs money to repair, and likewise, you’re probably not alone if your system breaks down on the first seriously cold stretch of the year. If you want to avoid the rush, have your system maintained toward the end of summer and you’ll be prepared for whatever the weather has in store.