If you have an air conditioner or heat pump that is 6 years old, most likely you have a system that requires R-22 refrigerant. This R-22 refrigerant has increased in price over 200% since last fall and the United States is required to phase R-22 out by year 2020. This is a worldwide phase out of ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). Releases of R-22 such as those from leaks, contribute to ozone depletion that also contribute to global warming; therefore, the United States is transitioning away from R-22.
The reason for this cost increase was after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered that manufactures cut production of R-22 material. In 2010 the United States was required to reduce its consumption by 65%. In 2015, the United States is required to reduce its consumption by 90%. And by 2020, reduce consumption by nearly 100%. Since the United States is phasing it out, the demand is getting higher for R-22; consequently, the price keeps increasing.
Most air conditioners and heat pumps built in the last 2-5 years use a different refrigerant called R-410A which is better for the environment. There are an estimated 75 percent of existing home air conditioners or heat pumps that continue to rely on R-22 according to industry sources.
If your system is in need of repair and is leaking refrigerant, you can still purchase R-22, but you may want to look into a newer energy-efficient system to not only save money on repair costs, but also on utility costs.
We would be happy to come out and assess your system. Give us a call or click here to fill out a form online to schedule an assessment.
(http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/phaseout/22phaseout.html)
One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning is a service company and its promise to you is:
"Always on Time ...or You Don't Pay a Dime"
So if we are a minute late, your repair is FREE! We believe your time is valuable and we want to make sure we honor your time! Especially if you took time off of work or have other obligations, we want to make sure our professional service technician are there on time; hence our promise.
For your convenience, you can choose different time windows that meet your specific needs and then we guarantee that we will be there on time or it's free! Here are the 5 different time windows that will be presented to you by our customer care representative (CCR): Express, Reserved, Standard, Standby, and Emergency. One of our most popular windows is the Express appointment window. It is a "One Hour" window meaning we will be there within that hour specified. We have the flexibility to meet your time constraints with these 5 options.
A lot of times, customers see our name and think we install home comfort systems in 1 hour. The One Hour part of the name refers to the service part of the company. However, our install technicians will replace your system in a timely manner.
After you make an appointment by choosing your window, our CCR will dispatch our drug-free, background checked service technician to your home. Our CCR will call the customer to notify them when our technician is on their way. The service technician will call the office when they arrive, during the visit, and when they complete the call. This way our CCR can always make sure our technicians are on schedule before, during, and after a call.
We want to make sure we take care of your heating/cooling home comfort system in an efficient, timely manner.
Direct Energy Services is acquiring Home Warranty of America (HWA), a US nation-wide home warranty protection plan company, for $48 million. In 2010, Direct Energy Services acquired Clockwork Home Services to become the largest provider of heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical services, serving more than three million households annually in North America. The Clockwork network includes the One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky brands.
This deal will eventually allow Direct Energy to sell protection plans in all 50 states, which means 100 million households will be able to use the benefits of the HWA. Based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, HWA provides whole home warranty services directly to customers through a national network of real estate agents, insurance professionals, relocation companies, developers, title companies, bankers, home inspectors and mortgage brokers.
The warranty plans offer full coverage for every buyer without the home age restrictions that are common on competitor's products. Service is a convenient 24/7 toll-free call away and repairs are performed by qualified, approved technicians. The Company offers a 30-day, money back guarantee on every home warranty. More information is available at www.hwaHomeWarranty.com.
"Adding HWA's capabilities will position Direct Energy to become the first high quality national home services player offering dependable, peace of mind home protection. American homeowners will be able to rest easy knowing their major appliances are covered 24 hours a day," said Eddy Collier, President of Direct Energy Services. "What's more, the acquisition of an established nationwide home warranty provider brings infrastructure for significant cross-sell opportunities with our residential energy customer base."
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. It is expected to close during the first quarter of 2012.
This is a tough question sometimes.
Sometimes it makes complete sense to just have your system repaired. If your system is newer, you haven't had many problems, and you have it annually maintained, you should be fine to just have it repaired. Having your system tuned up on a regular basis can expand the life of your heating/cooling system and it helps with the manufacturers warranties on the system. So make sure you keep up with your tune ups.
Sometimes it makes complete sense to replace your furnace and/or heat pump because it is so old or it's broken. In this case, you want to replace for sure. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it is seriously time to consider replacement for a heat pump or AC around 10 years or older and for a furnace is 15 years or older, especially with all the energy efficient systems available.
But what if you have a furnace and/or heat pump that is not that old and works fine most of the time? Well, then it would depend on:
- If the repair costs are as much as it would be to replace it;
- If a new system would save you a lot of money on your utility bills; and
- How much the future costs to repair your system would be.
There are many factors that go into making this decision. We can help you make the right decison. We use a true cost calculator to help us guide our customers as to whether it makes sense to repair or replace.
If you need some repairs done or need to get a tune up done, make a request online today.
If you are considering replacing your system, contact us to learn more about our products and services.
Until April 30th we are offering 30 Homeowners the "Hottest AND Coolest Deal of the Year!" by saving an average of $825 on a furnace if an off-season central air is purchased too. Please click on the image for more information about this great offer.
