Does HVAC repair and maintenance bring to mind the thought of an emergency AC repair that is needed on a Sunday morning in the dead of summer? Do you also expect that repair to require a small fortune or loan from the bank to pay for it?

Well unfortunately, yes…sometimes heating, ventilation and air conditioning repairs do fall under that scenario. And I sure do empathize with you if you’ve been through that experience. Not fun.

But actually, the HVAC repair and maintenance I’m referring to is different. It’s more of a preventative type of work and process. And in this case I can ensure you that it is something you’ll really be looking forward to, rather than dreading such as in the scenario described above.

This type of air conditioning job means doing an analysis on your HVAC system’s performance and your home’s energy efficiency. That involves things like; looking at how well the entire HVAC unit is operating, checking for air leaks throughout your house including the ductwork, verifying that the home is properly insulated…and more.

I recently had the analysis performed on my home. The following 3 things were discovered in that review:

1. Attic was lacking insulation – When the hvac technician went into the attic, he found out that there was hardly enough insulation up there to insulate the home effectively…and in some spots, there was no insulation at all. His recommendation was to add 5’’ of insulation on top of what was there and definitely cover the empty spots. 2. Blocked and leaking air ducts – While in the attic, the hvac tech also checked the ducts for leaks. He looked at the air registers throughout the rest of the home for leaks, and checked the blowing capacity of the ducts as well. His inspection revealed completely blocked or clogged ducts with a number of leaks. His recommendation was to clean out all the air ducts and seal all of the leaks. 3. Incompatible blower and heat pump components – I’ve had my share of “emergency AC repairs”. The last one required a new blower component. I had the service done and ended up with a newer blower and older heat pump. What I learned from this latest HVAC and home energy efficiency inspection is that the two were incompatible. One thing the technician mention is that you can’t retrofit one with the other…(something the other technician failed to mention). The end result was one component working at one level of amps and the other component working at a lower level. The heat pump needed to be updated to improve the HVAC system’s performance.

I had the service done to correct these issues. The results…

Well let me just say, I feel as though I’m a resident in the cooler temperatures of the Artic rather than desert heat of Phoenix…all this frigid air while keeping the temperature as it was prior to the HVAC repair and maintenance work. And now with the home properly sealed and the HVAC working the most efficiently, guess what???

My electric bill has gone down as well. That is great news to see.

So for yourself and your home energy efficiency, I highly recommend a AC repair and maintenance as well. By doing so I can assure you that you’ll love the lower energy bills and feel really “cool” about doing it.