Are you a planner or a reactor?
Planners rarely let their gas tanks top much below half full; reactors often find themselves running to the gas station on the way to work because there are not enough fumes to handle one more trip into the office. Planners buy an entire week’s worth groceries every Sunday, and sometimes go so far as to purchase bulk items once a week. Reactors stop by the grocery store four or five times a week, buying food and produce a meal at a time. Planners wrap their holiday gifts are they are purchased in coordinating wrapping paper. Reactors are up long past the time Santa has filled all of the stockings on Christmas Eve.
Although there are many instances in life where being a reactor can be a manageable approach, when it comes to maintaining a home it is a far better idea to be a planner. Knowing that your heating and air conditioning systems are inspected every six months allows you to be more confident that you will not have to call HVAC contractors and companies with an emergency request when your home is full of Christmas company.
HVAC Contractors and Companies Offer a Number of Important Services to Their Clients
From duct cleaning to heat pump operation to gas furnace safety, there are many times when it is important to follow through on the manufacturer recommendations that are provided by your HVAC contractor. Waiting until there is a problem, for instance, is never a good plan. In addition, unexpected problems are often more expensive and extensive. Following the services recommendations, in contrast, can often help you more successfully maintain the expensive HVAC equipment in your home. For most people, a home is the largest investment that they will ever make, and given that a HVAC system is so important it is a major part of the expensive of building and maintaining a home. As a result, it is often in your best interest to work with the HVAC contractors and purchase the highest quality system that you can afford, as well as pay for all of the recommended maintenance.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the heating and cooling industry and the impact that it has on the comfort of your home, as well as the strength of the nation’s economy:
- The latest research indicates that nearly 87% of U.S. households have air conditioning.
- Most HVAC system filters need to be changed every one to three months, according to Energystar.gov.
- Improper equipment installation could decrease your home’s heating and cooling efficiency by 30%, so it is important to make sure that you get the right contractor to complete any work that you need done.
- It is important that you also make sure that the duct work in your home is professionally installed because duct leakage can sap 20% to 40% of the energy out of even an air conditioner system that is operating well.
- It is a proven fact that the most efficient HVAC systems require maintenance inspections twice a year, once two or three weeks before the air conditioner is turned on in the spring, and another two or three weeks before the furnace is turned on in the fall.
Most of the population can be divided into two groups: planner and reactors. And while there are many times when you can still get to work without running out of gas and still feed your family every night without planning ahead, the reality is that when it comes to home maintenance it is very difficult to always be reacting. The best home owners, in fact, follow a fairly detailed schedule that lists all of the maintenance that needs to be done in a home.
Taking the time to follow the advice of both the contractors and the manufacturer when it comes to your HVAC system is a necessary decision if you want to protect the invest that you have made in the air conditioning and heating systems. Failing to get regular checks and follow up on necessary repairs can lead to an expensive emergency situation when you have a house full of holiday company.
