What Services Can I Expect from Quality Home Heating Contractors?
Peace of mind for homeowners means having quick and easy access to help when things go wrong. You need a trusty plumber. A good doctor. A reliable auto mechanic. And, of course, you’ll need excellent home heating contractors to handle any problems with your HVAC system.
What Is an HVAC System?
HVAC, of course, is a very broad term. An acronym standing for “heating, cooling, and air conditioning,” HVAC essentially refers to any of the systems that keep your home comfortable during cold winters and hot summers. That’s the simple definition, but as you might suspect, the actual job of an HVAC professional isn’t a simple one at all.
HVAC systems encompass multiple technologies—from air conditioners to gas-powered furnaces to electric heat pumps and everything in-between—and a good heating and cooling contractor should be well-versed in all of them.
The Parts of Your HVAC System
While there are plenty of different ways to heat and cool your home, most HVAC systems have a few components in common. Each of these elements is an important part of the overall system. Among your home heating contractor’s many responsibilities is keeping them in good working order.
One of the most critical elements of any HVAC system is the thermostat. Your thermostat senses the temperature in your home and uses this information to decide when to begin heating or cooling your house. It’s this vital part of your HVAC system that keeps your home at a comfortable temperature. If it malfunctions, it can drive your energy bill way up or even cause your heater or air conditioner to cease functioning entirely.
An equally important part of any HVAC system is the evaporator coil. This small but crucial piece of technology has liquid refrigerant pumped through it. As warm air is pumped across it, the refrigerant draws out the heat energy and cools that air down. This newly cooled air is then pumped back through your home’s ductwork, keeping you cool on even the hottest days.
Whether it’s been heated or cooled, the air in your home is circulated through the ducts by an electric blower motor. This motor can control the airflow around your home, allowing you to turn the heat up and down as you see fit. This is another element that’s prone to malfunction and needs regular care and maintenance.
What Your Contractor Will Do
Installation
A malfunction in any element of your HVAC system can stop the whole unit from working. That’s why it’s important to keep every part of your heater and air conditioner in good working order. Because HVAC units are such large, complex, and expensive systems, you’ll want to hire an experienced professional to work on them for you. This is where your home heating contractors come in.
Your HVAC contractor’s job starts even before you’ve installed a heater or air conditioner in your home. A key part of their responsibility is to ensure you purchase the right unit for your house. Every home is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all HVAC system. The one that’s best for you will depend upon the size of your home, your budget, and your access to heating fuels such as propane or natural gas.
The best contractors will also help you to ensure that your energy bills remain low. Far too many homeowners end up paying far more than they need to every month, for several reasons. The wrong-sized heater, a poorly maintained HVAC system, and reliance on outdated technology are chief among these. A quality heating and cooling contractor will help upgrade your system to the most-efficient model available to you, saving you thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the unit.
Maintenance
Whether you’re getting a newly upgraded HVAC system or relying on an older one, your contractor can also help to maintain it. As with any mechanical system, regular maintenance is vital to extending the lifetime of your heater and air conditioner. It’s best to have your home heating contractor come in to inspect all the components of your HVAC system at least once a year. This service will usually include a duct cleaning as well, helping to keep dust that has built up over the course of the year from being recirculated into your home.
As they inspect your HVAC system, your contractor will discover if there’s anything that needs to be repaired or replaced. It’s best to schedule your maintenance visits in the offseason—that is, spring or autumn—so you’re not stuck waiting for a repair when your HVAC professional is busiest. If you’re diligent with your maintenance and repairs, it will significantly reduce your chances of being stuck without heat on the coldest days of the year, or of being without air conditioning on the hottest days of the year!
Your home heating contractors will be able to make any necessary repairs, helping to prevent the risk of catastrophic failure while also ensuring your HVAC system is running at maximum efficiency.
Finding a Great Home Heating Contractor
A great HVAC contractor can do it all: installation, repairs, upgrades, and maintenance. They’ll take all the stress out of it for you, whether it’s ordering replacement parts, cleaning your fan and ducts, or emergency repairs if necessary. You’ll want to look for an HVAC technician who has a full laundry list of services they offer.
Customer satisfaction is also key to quality home heating contractors. Look for contractors with positive testimonials, read reviews online, and talk to your neighbors to find out who they recommend.
It’s a good idea to have an HVAC contractor who will work with you financially as well. Contractors that offer financing can take a lot of the stress off their customers. Similarly, the best home heating contractors, such as Watts Heating and Cooling, offer maintenance agreements, so you can get regular tune-ups and maintenance, as well as discounted replacement parts, without breaking the bank.