(this article first appeared in the Austin American Statesman in 1996, but it is still relevant today) We all know that we can pay our auto mechanics a little now for routine service, or pay them a lot later for a major repair. The same idea holds true for your air conditioner or heat pump. If you don’t service your air conditioner or heat pump regularly, you’ll find yourself uncomfortable and broke. In this article the term air conditioner will apply to a heat pump or a standard air conditioner. Both benefit equally from annual service tune-ups.The good news is that you can recover most of that lost efficiency through regular maintenance. Studies show that with regular tune-ups a unit will maintain up to 95% of it’s original efficiency. A properly serviced air conditioner will also do a better job of dehumidifying your home. Many local air conditioning firms offer special prices at this time of the year (spring and fall, when weather’s not as extreme –Ed.).

Some even offer annual service programs that insure that you will be reminded of the need to service the unit at the beginning of the cooling and heating seasons.One of the most important items to check is the coolant level (previously known as Freon) in the air conditioner. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) recommends that coolant levels be checked every year. If your unit is low on coolant, and more must be added, there are new laws governing its use. Freon is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) that will damage the Earths protective ozone layer if released into the atmosphere. The laws governing CFC’s now do not allow your air conditioner contractor to add Freon to a leaky system. [Ed note: CFCs are no longer allowed and various alternative refrigerants are now common.] They are first required to find and fix the leak in the system. Don’t ask them to violate this law as they may lose their license if they are caught doing this.They recover much of their lost efficiency, they are less likely to suffer a major break down, they have a longer life span, they increase your comfort, and they operate for less money.

Air conditioners use refrigerants to move heat from inside your home to the outdoors. The old refrigerants were bad for the ozone layer in the stratosphere. The first replacement, R-22, is better but was meant to be used only as a transition until a new type of refrigerant could be developed to take its place. Since the end of 2009, the US EPA has banned manufacturers from shipping out new air conditioners with R-22. air handling unit heat exchangeTheir rules contained a loophole, however. how to choose a window air conditioning unitIf they 'dry-shipped' the new ACs, the ban didn't apply, a loophole I wrote about last year. average cost of replacing air conditioning unitOne manufacturer saw the loophole and jumped through.

In the past three years, a lot of new R-22 air conditioners have been installed, despite the EPA's intention to accelerate the transition to R-410A. Sadly, the installers focused only on the first cost of these systems, ignoring the inevitable high prices of servicing air conditioners with a banned refrigerant. R-22 prices begin their ascent Last week I saw an article on Angie's List about the price of R-22 in which they stated that contractors are charging $35 to $175 per pound for R-22 now. I've asked around and found that the price of R-22 is running 3 to 5 times the cost of R-410A. How does the first cost of that dry-ship unit look after you fill it with such expensive refrigerant? Not so good, and that's what is finally going to close the loophole that allows dry-ship units to be sold. And if you think it costs a lot now, just wait. In two years, production of R-22 is set to drop 90%. HVAC Secret: An Air Conditioner Loophole the Size of the Ozone Hole The Science Behind the Phase-Out of R-22 Air Conditioner Refrigerant

The Science of Global Warming Is Older Than Quantum MechanicsOne of the most important items for your family's comfort is your central air conditioning system. Whether it's hot or cold outside, your air conditioning system keeps your house comfortable. Now imagine life without it - even just for a few hours. Unfortunately, breakdowns do happen and there is no guaranteed way to stop them. However, there are a few ways to shift things in your favor - regular maintenance. All equipment manufacturers and utility companies recommend routine maintenance of heating and cooling equipment regardless of age, including brand new equipment. Just planned maintenance - like changing the oil in your car. Our planned HVAC maintenance program can help your home to stay comfortable all year long. Several independent long-term studies have shown the majority of HVAC emergency repairs could be eliminated with a small investment in routine annual maintenance. Other benefits are reduced operating costs and extended equipment life. 

Even better is that these benefits can be multiplied further with our weatherization products. These value added benefits are included with our preferred customer Priority One Maintenance Agreement: Our Priority One Maintenance Program is an annual agreement providing testing and maintenance of your HVAC equipment twice a year; once for cooling and once for heating. During these inspections, scheduled at your convenience, we will perform several critical checks of your system as outlined on our multiple point inspection checklist below. If any problems or areas of concern are discovered, you will be notified so you can make an informed decision on how you want to proceed. As you can see in the example shown here, enrollment often times can save significantly on the average cost of a repair- with more discounts and an additional inspection still at your disposal when you are ready to use it. W/O Priority One BenefitsW/ Priority One Benefits Waived for 1st time members