Did you know that replacing your HVAC filter regularly can help you save anywhere from 5% to 15% on your energy costs?
When you perform the right tasks to your HVAC system, it runs more efficiently, and it might even help you avoid breakdowns and expensive repair costs.
As you consider this, you might wonder about HVAC maintenance costs. How much are they? What tasks should you do?
A great time to focus on maintaining your HVAC system is in the spring, just before summer hits. As you prepare for this, here are some vital things to know about the tasks you should do, as well as the costs for these tasks.
Reasons to Maintain Your HVAC System
Before you learn about the costs of maintaining your system, you might want to learn about the benefits of providing the proper HVAC maintenance to your system.
Here are some of the reasons you should maintain your system:
You’ll Save Money
When you maintain your system, you care for it. As a result, the system will run better. When you care for your system, it also runs more efficiently.
The main benefit of this is that it helps control your heating and AC costs. A well-maintained system uses less energy to provide the heat or cold air your home needs.
You’ll save money on your energy costs, which is one of the top reasons to get the maintenance services your system needs.
You Can Avoid Breakdowns
Caring for your system also helps you avoid breakdowns. It seems like a central AC system always breaks down on the hottest days of the year.
If you want to avoid breakdowns, you’ll need to provide the maintenance your system needs each year.
It Keeps Your Home Safer
A home is also safer when you keep up with the maintenance your HVAC system needs. Then the parts will work properly, and you’ll have a less likely chance of having gas leaking into your home.
Improved Indoor Air Quality
Maintaining your system also affects the air quality in your home. If you want improved air quality, you’ll need to change the air filter and perform certain steps to maintain your system.
Your System Might Last Longer
Just like with anything you own, when you care for the item, it lasts longer. An HVAC system is the same way. So, when you care for your system, you might extend its useful life.
Times to Complete Maintenance
Most HVAC companies recommend completing routine maintenance twice each year. The first time you should aim to do it is in the spring before summer strikes. The second time is in the fall before winter hits.
HVAC companies often call this an HVAC checkup or tune-up, but it might have other names, too.
The HVAC company you hire performs a series of steps each time they tune up your system. Therefore, the steps they perform are different in the spring and winter, as each time focuses on a different aspect of your system.
Additionally, you might need repairs on your system if something goes wrong with it. However, if you maintain your system through HVAC checkups twice a year, you might not experience times when you need repairs.
Tasks Your System Needs
Now that you know the reasons and times to maintain your system, you might wonder what tasks HVAC companies perform during checkups. Here are some of the tasks they might do at each checkup:
Check and Replace the Air Filter
One of the first things they might do during a tune-up is checking and replace the air filter. This filter sifts all the air that enters the system, and the system will work better with a clean air filter.
Examine All the Components
Next, they will inspect every part of the system. For a furnace tune-up, they’ll inspect the compressor and condenser. For an AC system, they’ll inspect the coils, drain lines, and fan blades, to name a few.
If they find issues with any parts, they’ll fix or replace them, depending on the problem.
Check the Coolant Level
AC systems use coolant to cool a home, and a system needs the proper level of coolant for this to happen. Therefore, the technician will check the coolant level and add to it if necessary.
Clean the System
Additionally, the technician will clean every part of the system, ensuring that all parts work properly and without added friction. Cleaning it helps improve the system’s efficiency.
Calibrate the Thermostat
Finally, they will calibrate your thermostat. If your thermostat is off, even slightly, it can affect how your system works and its efficiency.
HVAC Maintenance Costs
After learning all these things, you’ll probably have questions about the costs of these HVAC services. Of course, the costs for maintenance varies, but many companies perform tune-ups for affordable prices.
The average cost for a tune-up is anywhere from $70 to $130. If your system needs part replacement, you’ll pay more, as you must pay for the parts and labor.
The good news is that you’ll save money in the long run if you get tune-ups each year. It costs less to maintain a system rather than replace one, and if maintaining it extends your system’s life, you stand to save a lot of money.
If your system is over ten years old, experts suggest to start considering replacement. However, getting tune-ups cost much less and might help you system last longer than ten years.
To replace a system, you can expect to pay $1,200 to $4,500 for the system, and around $1,200 to $2,200 for the installation costs.
Save Money and Avoid Problems By Maintaining Your System
With the proper maintenance, you can save money and avoid major problems with your HVAC system. As summer comes closer, you might want to prepare your system by hiring a company to perform maintenance.
You can contact a company to learn more about the HVAC maintenance costs you’ll have to pay for services.
If you live in the St. Louis area and want to get your system ready for the summer, give us a call. We can provide the services your system needs!
