Who knew that the happiness of your first month of marriage would be so dependent on HVAC services?
When both you and your husband graduated from college last May you knew that you would be on a tight schedule to get everything completed by your mid June wedding. You also knew that as young newly weds your budget would be tight. Your parents were paying for the wedding and while they offered to let you and your husband live in the basement for a few months until some paychecks started rolling in, you wanted to live on your own.
Fortunately, your new husband had an uncle with a duplex that was empty. The place needed some work, but with your promise to take care of some of the cleaning and painting the uncle agreed to let you live in the two bedroom one bath rental for only half the rent amount you could find anywhere else. Unfortunately, three days after you moved in their conditioning broke. You were nannying for the summer while you waited for your full time teaching job to start in the summer, and your husband was doing a barely paid internship at one of the local churches. Although you were paying only half rent, you really did think that the uncle, now turned landlord, would cover the costs of the necessary HVAC services. He did. Sort of. He would pay for the parts, but he suggested that your new father-in-law take care of the repairs so he could avoid expensive labor costs. This sounded like a plan, until you found out that your father-in-law was not going to be available for two weeks.
That first month of marriage was a test. You knew that you would need to work out the specifics of living together in the same space. You knew that it might take awhile for you to get used to cooking for your new husband. You knew that dividing the household chores would take some initial negotiations. What you did not know, however, was how hot it would be!
Affordable Air Conditioning Repair Is Not Always Easy to Find
The mere fact that AC units tend to break on the hottest days of the year when they are taxed the most is the initial indicator that finding the HVAC contractors you need can be expensive. When they are in high demand, of course, these HVAC services cannot be blamed for charging rather expensive fees. Their technicians are often expected to work long and late hours, and they are often out in the heat that customers are trying to get away from.
Recent research in a New York Times article that talked about our nation’s dependence on air conditioning indicated that there are some studies that show that nearly 90% of Americans are now in air conditioned spaces for at least a part of their day. And while there was once a statistic that indicated that 66% of American homes are air conditioned, there are actually very few of us who are accustomed to dealing with the summer heat without the comfort of air conditioning.
Consider some of these other facts and figures about the heating and cooling business and the important role that HVAC services play in our lives and economy:
- In a typical U.S. home, heating and cooling account for about 48% of energy use.
- Air conditioners cost home owners in America more than $11 billion every year, and regular maintenance can keep an air conditioner running efficiently.
- Switching to high-efficiency air conditioners and taking other actions to keep a home cool could reduce energy use for air conditioning by as much as 20% to 50%.
- Traditional ductwork can have cooling losses as high as 40%, so it is important to work with professionals who can help you keep your entire system running efficiently.
- A loss that can be avoided with ductless mini split cooling and heating systems, duct losses can account for more than 30% of energy consumption for space heating and cooling.
Even if it is not the first month of your marriage, it is important to find a HVAC professional if you are having summer AC problems.