Serving Northern California Since 1984
Let’s face it, a new HVAC system will be one of the most expensive investments you make into your home. In fact, too many homeowners sacrifice comfort for cheaper options or inefficient systems because they don’t understand the costs. In our brief buying guide below, we’ve outlined some of the logic behind the costs to help you feel better about your purchase.
When you purchase a new air conditioner, costs will include factors like installation, equipment, and any add-ons you want to get.
Fall is officially here! Soon the weather will cool, and we can focus on fall activities and using our heaters to keep warm. Chances are, you used your air conditioner consistently over the last several weeks, and we bet you’re looking forward to shutting it off for the season. But before you do, is it showing any signs of disrepair?
Don’t brush potential repair needs off. Waiting on them can lead to more severe problems and potentially even a premature system replacement.
The good news is, when your system does need repair, it’s adept at showing you signs and symptoms. While you shouldn’t ever try to formally diagnose or repair a malfunctioning air conditioner on your own (they contain dangerous components like refrigerant, which requires formal training and licensing to handle safely), you can still spot the signs you need AC repair, and take the appropriate steps from there.
We won’t deny it, the end of the year is a lousy time to require an air conditioner replacement. In an ideal world, you’d have a well-maintained and highly efficient air conditioner ready to get you through the last of the summer weather. If that’s not the case, however, and you’re shopping for an air conditioner right now, we urge you to only trust a pro.
But why is this so important?
To start off, you want to ensure that you get the right type of air conditioner and the right size AC—too large of an AC can be just as detrimental as too small of one, and will go through a process called short-cycling, which is hard on the system and will cause it to accumulate wear and tear faster than normal.
So you know sizing is important, but what are some other reasons you should only hire a pro?
It would be nice if we had air conditioners that could self-diagnose malfunctions and report them back to the homeowners in detail, right? Honestly, that’s probably not too far-fetched of an idea when you really think about it.
In the meantime, though? This isn’t a reality and we need to rely on other methods for our air conditioner to send warning signs that something is amiss. This may be a drop in cooling power, or an unexpected and unexplained spike in energy bills. Or, it may be that your circuit breakers for the indoor and outdoor units keep tripping.
Or, it could be noise. “Wait,” you might be thinking, “my air conditioner always makes noise!” We aren’t talking about the hum of the fans or the faint clicking you might here when the system starts up and shuts down, though. Rather, we’re talking about sounds that are abnormal to what you normally hear, or seem louder than they should be. What could this include? Read on!
Typically as we get to this part of the year, you’ve had maintenance done for your air conditioner—hopefully—and we’re ready to start enjoying the season, even if it means running our air conditioners on almost a daily basis.
What if we told you that you could save money on your cooling needs this summer? There are many efficiency-boosting actions you can take, like using your ceiling fans to evenly distribute the cooled air from your air conditioner. But there are also some upgrades you may want to consider if you haven’t already. These upgrades can help your air conditioner perform better, last longer, and can help you feel more comfortable. Read on to learn more!
Fact #1: Summer is hot.
Fact #2: Running your air conditioner costs a lot. The truth is, your HVAC system can account for as much as 50% of all the electrical energy use in your home. You want to find ways to use it less expensively and more efficiently. The good news is, there’s a few ways you can do this!
Everyone should be able to run an air conditioner without it costing them a fortune. And sometimes that means installing a few upgrades or paying for some services that can significantly boost the air conditioner’s efficiency.
In this post, you won’t find any gimmicky or “quick” methods for improving efficiency—those rarely work. Instead, we’ll tell you which AC services in Sacramento, CA can make a serious difference in your monthly cooling costs:
Air conditioners are designed to perform at their highest efficiency even during the hottest summers—given that they’re properly maintained, that is. If not, it would be like if you were forced to go run a marathon while recovering from an injury!
If your air conditioner is suffering from a repair issue or hasn’t had maintenance in years, it could very well suffer performance issues from intense heat.
However, there are other times when the weather can affect the system, in both summer and in winter. Here are a few examples:
You can’t let a car sit in the garage for six months, start it back up again, and expect it to run without an issue.
It’s the same with your air conditioner. Every year we shut them off as fall rolls in, and we don’t even think about them again until we start getting into spring.
When you do start running that AC again, we highly suggest getting a maintenance tune up before summer starts. The last thing you want is for your AC to break down during the hottest part of the year.
Before summer comes, however, you’ll have some time to monitor the performance of your AC and to see if it needs any urgent service. Here are some of the things you can watch out for:
In the world of air conditioning, there are two major categories of air conditioners:
Those with a duct system, and those without.
The ducts are the series of tunnels and vents that blow air into your home. Some systems have them, and some don’t.
When it comes to installing a new HVAC system, it’s not really about choosing which one you like more, or which one has the best features. More than anything, it’s all about which system is going to work well for your home. This could vary for a number of reasons, like if you already have some kind of heating or cooling system. It’s a lot to cover, so read on to learn all about them.
