Air conditioning a hot commodity this summer
Metro Creative
Metro Creative
As the weather warms up and air conditioners are needed, experts suggest having the unit serviced for optimal efficiency and effectiveness.
Air-conditioning service calls are tracking upward this year. (Photo courtesy of MetroCreative)
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Air conditioning is a hot commodity this summer, and folks from the southern tip of Greene County to the northernmost region of Washington are placing AC service and installation calls en masse.
无毛视频淥ur bookings go all the way to middle of July,无毛视频� said Robert Champe, president of the Washington-based Shearer Heating, Cooling and Refrigeration, which also services parts of Greene County. 无毛视频淲e purchased another company up in McMurray called Valley Heating Air Conditioning, and they无毛视频檙e booked all the way to August.无毛视频�
Champe said that last month, Shearer recorded a 60% increase in service calls over May 2020.
无毛视频淟ast year, we hit a record amount of installs,无毛视频� Champe said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e on the same track as we were last year on installs.无毛视频�
Jason Kowalski, founder and co-owner of Kowalski Heating, Cooling and Plumbing in Canonsburg, said he, too, has noticed an uptick in business this year.
无毛视频淲e are as busy or busier than we were last year, across the board,无毛视频� Kowalski said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e seeing more volume commercially, and residential sales are up.无毛视频�
Though increased demand for air-conditioning units and service during summer无毛视频檚 first heat wave is no anomaly, this year无毛视频檚 wait times certainly are not the norm.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 difficult to get what I call garden variety parts, stuff that should just be readily available,无毛视频� said Mark Pacilla, president of McVehil Plumbing, Heating, Cooling in Washington. 无毛视频淵ou might have to wait for a part 无毛视频� two or three days.无毛视频�
A manufacturer recently told Pacilla it would take between 26 and 30 weeks (five months) for a commercial unit to arrive at McVehil, which means the customer would have AC in time for next summer.
无毛视频淭hey said it like, you should be just fine with that,无毛视频� Pacilla laughed.
While companies wait for parts, customers wait for service. That can be frustrating to folks whose air conditioning isn无毛视频檛 working, or to people seeking respite from this summer无毛视频檚 scorching temperatures.
Also frustrating: Prices, fueled by inflation, are rising along with the temperature.
无毛视频淐osts are up. Operating costs are up, insurance costs. Gasoline costs, as everybody knows,无毛视频� said Kowalski. 无毛视频淭he prices of things are going up, but the margins aren无毛视频檛 necessarily going up.无毛视频�
Champe said prices began creeping upward at the start of COVID, and have remained higher than usual. Pacilla said the price of maintenance items has risen significantly over the last six months, with equipment costs increasing 10 to 30%.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e trying to keep prices as low as we can,无毛视频� Pacilla said. 无毛视频淚 hate to get on a high horse: This affects a lot of people, the cost of something going up. There are people that just can无毛视频檛 afford it.无毛视频�
Champe said he has, reluctantly, raised prices 无毛视频� he has his employees to think about 无毛视频� but is trying to offset costs to customers in other ways.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e doing different things, recharging systems that are purchased. We无毛视频檙e kind of doing that as a courtesy because of the wait time,无毛视频� said Champe. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e taking a bit of a hit on using the refrigerant keeping them up and running.无毛视频�
He also offers ductless air conditioning, and this year noticed an uptick in demand for the sleek, modernized version of the clunky window unit. Ductless air conditioners help save on costs by cooling only those spaces homeowners use often.
无毛视频淎 lot of our homes have a hot second floor, where it doesn无毛视频檛 make sense to put a bigger unit downstairs, so ductless is perfect,无毛视频� Champe said. 无毛视频淵ou save energy 无毛视频� by shutting it off when you无毛视频檙e not in the room.无毛视频�
Whether you无毛视频檝e got ductless, traditional or no air conditioning, Champe and Pacilla offered a few tips for beating the heat this summer.
无毛视频淭hey always say to turn up your thermostat, which is true, but the whole point is to be comfortable,无毛视频� said Champe. 无毛视频淭he more you can control your humidity in the house, the more comfortable you无毛视频檒l be.无毛视频�
Champe said things get sticky when the humidity reaches 60% indoors. Dehumidifiers are a good investment, especially this summer, with high humidity part of the forecast.
无毛视频淚f you look at the weather report and it无毛视频檚 going to be a cool night 无毛视频� by all means, open the windows,无毛视频� Champe said. 无毛视频淲indow coverings help too. Efficient equipment.无毛视频�
Pacilla agreed that efficient, and well-maintained, equipment is key to keeping cool.
无毛视频淭he biggest thing is maintenance,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淜eep things clean. Keep the outdoor unit clean. Keep the indoor unit clean. Half of our service calls in the summertime are things that haven无毛视频檛 been rinsed off. Everyone wants to forego maintenance because of the cost. That shortens the life of the equipment.无毛视频�