If you’re a seasoned homeowner, you know houses require a lot of upkeep. Experience also shows the best home projects offer a dual advantage: they add to your quality of life and to your home’s overall value. And if an improvement helps save money in the long run? That’s a triple win!
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| Image Source: chron.com |
Dave Borowski, spokesperson for Direct Energy Protection Plans, says updating your cooling system can offers these benefits: “The useful life expectancy of an air-conditioning unit is usually seven to 10 years — much like a car, it might keep running but not as efficiently. And professional maintenance can increase the product’s life expectancy, improve performance and help reduce the severity and frequency of breakdowns.” So if you do plan to update your home’s cooling system, here are tips to ensure that investment pays off:
Find a good contractor. Look for the best credentials, not the best price: “A questionable contractor can cut the cost, but he may also cut corners,” warns Borowski. A NATE certification (National Alliance for Technical Education) is one standard of quality. Referrals — from online sources, and from people who had AC units installed 10 years ago or 10 days ago — can tell you a lot about contractor’s workmanship over the short- and long-term. “The most important day in an air conditioner’s life is Day #1, when it’s installed,” notes Borowski. “If it’s not perfect then, it will never get better.”
Buy the highest efficiency unit that you can afford. Face it: Electric rates are not likely to go down. Spending a bit more for an energy-efficient unit can actually lead to long-term savings.
Ask about rebates. Many vendors seasonally bring out rebates to help boost sales; check with your contractor to see if there are good deals out there.
Make sure your ductwork is properly sized for your air conditioner. “Just because your ductwork is there – and has been there for 22 years – doesn’t mean it’s right,” explains Borowski. An improper fit means the unit won’t work as efficiently as it should. A good contractor will check this, but it never hurts to bring it up.
Get a programmable thermostat. The newest versions let you monitor the AC right from a smart phone: “With the Comfort Sentry ThermostatTM, you can control the temperatures and set schedules to fit household needs,” says Borowski. To save energy — and energy dollars — you can raise the temperature during daytime hours when no one is home, and have things cool down automatically by 5 p.m. “Or suppose you’re at the airport, ready to go on vacation, and suddenly realize, ‘Ugh, I forgot to turn the thermostat off! It’s going to be cooling the house for two weeks while we’re on a cruise.’ Now, all you’ve got to do is go to your smart phone and put the thermostat in ‘vacation’ mode. Running the AC when you’re gone is equivalent to running ceiling fans when you’re gone!”
Check the service options. Even the best-installed air conditioner can break down; find out when your contractor does warranty service. “Some only do it Monday through Friday, 9 to 5,” says Borowski. “Imagine if your air conditioner breaks down at 5:15 on a Friday, and your contractor says he’ll be happy to help you Monday morning! Make sure you’ve got someone who stands behind his work and will perform warranty service 24/7. If not, you’ve got the wrong contractor.”
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| Image Source: chron.com |
The air conditioning and heating specialists at Comfort Experts perform preventive maintenance checks, service of existing equipment, installation of new equipment, and cost-benefits analysis. To know the right time to update or replace an air conditioning unit, read here.
