Our first home came without central air conditioning. We were part of that 1/3 of American homes that were without air conditioning. We thought with the shady lot and sleeping with the windows wide open, summer wouldn’t be that bad. We thought if it got really hot, we could sleep in the living room, only a few feet from the window air conditioning unit and it would be quite nice. The first year of our marriage in that house taught us lessons we will never forget. The most important lesson it taught us is that we were weak. Our parents and grandparents may have lived without a/c, but our generation had gone soft.
Going to work in the summer was the best part of the day since it would be air conditioned. Instead of Friday night being the best part of the week, we looked forward to Sunday night when air conditioning was just around the corner Monday morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love my work, but I don’t love it more than my free time. Going out to dinner in the evenings kept us in the cool until sunset or later. The long days of August proved to us that we were not strong. That spring, we called had a brand new heating and cooling system installed and we were never happier. This being our first home, we also signed up for the company’s heating and air conditioning services, which included seasonal inspections to ensure everything was in good working order. The local hvac technician who was dispatched understood that we were new homeowners and was patient and explained a great deal about how our heating and cooling systems worked.
Buying New
That was our first introduction to the importance of a home’s hvac system. Now on our third home, we once again relied upon good advice from our home builder when selecting the system for our new construction. Natural gas is the most common furnace type, with 57% of U.S. homes being heated this way. We chose a high efficiency gas furnace. The highest efficiency furnaces made today are 97% efficient. It isn’t even possible now to buy a new system that isn’t at least 78% efficient. And even if you aren’t in the market for a new home, most furnaces last 15 to18 years, so there is a strong possibility you may one day be in the market for a new system even if you are not the home’s original owners. Energy efficiency is increasingly important and new ductwork is another service offered by hvac companies that could increase your efficiency. Traditional ductwork has cooling loss of nearly 40%. A ductless mini-split heating and cooling system could bring that loss down.
When You Need Service
I can not say that we have been so lucky as to never need air conditioning or furnace repair, but the few times we have, once again, a knowledgeable local hvac technician helped get us back and running in no time. While waiting for a part, we did have to spend a weekend living without central air in the heat of summer like we did in that first house. It was a good reminder of how reliant we are on reliable heating and cooling services in our community. Not a week goes by in summer or winter that a colleague or friend on social media doesn’t ask for a recommendation for reliable local hvac services. I am only so happy to provide the name of one of the many companies whose local hvac technicians have serviced our systems.
No matter if you’re new to home ownership or a seasoned pro, one thing you can not live without are dependable local hvac technicians to keep the heat on in the cold and the heat out in the summer. A reliable heating and air conditioning company is invaluable and once you find one, it makes home ownership a joy.