Air conditioning systems are considered quite necessary in many parts of the United States. After all, many different regions of this country experience warm and even incredibly hot temperatures, especially during the summer months. Air conditioning systems and the local AC repair company (or companies) play a critical role in keeping homes cool. For some people, this is about more than just comfort, as temperatures that are too high can lead to things like dehydration and heat stroke – especially in at risk populations, like the elderly and babies and children. Fortunately, more than half of all homes in this country (around two thirds of them, to be a bit more specific) now have some type of air conditioning system, even if it is just one singular air conditioning unit.
In order to keep your air conditioning unit or system functioning well (and to avoid the need for contacting an AC repair company), there are a number of things that must be done. First of all, regular services in a must for a number of different reasons. For one thing, regular servicing helps to prevent a build up of contaminants in the ductwork of any given air conditioning system.
These contaminants can cause a variety of problems. For one thing, they will simply make your air conditioning system function far less efficiently than it would otherwise be capable of. Of course, this will cause your energy costs to rise – sometimes even by a truly considerable amount. In addition to this, the build up of contaminants in your air conditioning system will reduce the overall quality of the air in your home, as these contaminant can end up circulating throughout your home as many as seven times throughout a typical day. Of course, this can lead to breathing difficulties in those who are susceptible to such things, such as those who have asthma or allergies (or perhaps even both, as will unfortunately be the case for some people).
On top of all of this, irregular maintenance (or none at all) to your air conditioning system actually poses a fire risk as well. In fact, the data that has been gathered on this subject more than backs up this claim. The data actually shows that more than 7,000 fires that took place in homes throughout the country were traced back to air conditioning systems and related equipment in the year of 2010 alone, let alone in any other year before or since. It was established that many of these fires could have actually been avoided had the people in the home had the equipment serviced and maintained on a regular basis. Hiring an AC repair company when necessary can also drastically reduce the risk of a fire, as an AC repair company can return your AC unit to like new condition in many cases.
Of course, regular servicing can help to avoid the need for an AC repair company in the first place. No matter how skilled and respected any given AC repair company might be, this is obviously the ideal solution. And ideally, AC maintenance and servicing will only need to be conducted about twice throughout the year. Unfortunately, only just over 40% of all people have their AC equipment and systems serviced even once throughout the course of a year.
In addition to regular servicing and the hiring of an AC repair company when necessary, sometimes a replacement of your air conditioning system will also become necessary. After all, there is always a point when air conditioning repair and air conditioning maintenance services simply are not enough. At some point you will need to replace your air conditioning system entirely and many people will ultimately decide to do so with an energy efficient system. This type of air conditioning system will likely be a bit more expensive up front, but it is something that is more than likely to pay off in savings and environmental benefit at the end of the day. For many people, a high efficiency air conditioning system is far better than the lower priced typical air conditioning system, even if it means initially paying a good deal more.
