Do you know when the perfect time to schedule AC maintenance is? First off, maintenance is an essential service, not just one you should do whenever its convenient. You should be scheduling an air conditioner tune-up annually, at least. In the case of a year-round heat pump, it’s best to have a tune-up done every 6 months.
So what we are getting at is that consistency matters more than timing here. Still though, there are certain times when air conditioning maintenance is more convenient for you–and springtime is that time. This lessens the chance that our HVAC professionals will be out on emergency calls, so you can get a tune-up scheduled at your convenience. Read on to learn more about why this service is so important.
Reduced Repair Needs
It would be impossible to eliminate all repair needs that an air conditioner may need throughout its useful service life. However, maintenance tune-ups can prevent up to 85% of the repairs an average air conditioner may need. How so?
Well, think of it this way. Air conditioners experience wear and tear. During maintenance, we can catch a small issue, like motor bearings in need of lubrication or a worn fan belt. We can alert you to this small need right away, and then repair it for you. This prevents the problem from growing into a much larger issue, therefore reducing the inconvenience and the cost of repair.
Longer Useful Service Life
We mentioned “useful service life” above, but what do we mean by this? You might have heard that the average, well-maintained air conditioner can last 10-15 years. The truth is, an air conditioner can probably continue to run past this time, but this doesn’t mean it’s cooling you effectively or efficiently.
The reality is that the useful service life of an air conditioner is 10-15 years. Beyond this and you’ll start to experience increased repair needs and a drop in performance. Without maintenance, that useful service life could even be cut in half!
Improved Energy Efficiency
Your air conditioner has an energy efficiency rating referred to as SEER, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, and is the maximum efficiency the system can actually achieve.
With regular, annual maintenance, your air conditioner can retain about 95% of its original SEER rating. On the contrary, every year you skip maintenance, you can expect to lose about 5% of its efficiency.
Reliable Operation
The last thing any homeowner needs is for their air conditioner to break down on them right when they need it the most. Unfortunately, this is a risk you take if you skip maintenance–and the most likely time for it to happen is at the peak of summer when it’s working its hardest.
Professional maintenance tune-ups are essential to keeping your air conditioner in great working order! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you have about this service.
To schedule your next professional Chicago air conditioning maintenance appointment, look no further than Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning. Contact us today!