Most homeowners have heard that HVAC maintenance is a wise investment. However, HVAC companies have a financial motive to sell maintenance services to you. So, how are you supposed to determine if they’re worth the price? To answer that, here’s a complete cost-benefit analysis of HVAC maintenance so that you can decide for yourself.
What’s Involved in HVAC Maintenance?
It’s essential to understand what you’re paying for before you judge the value of an HVAC maintenance service. The first thing that happens during a maintenance appointment is a visual inspection of your heating and cooling equipment. The technician will examine your system’s indoor and outdoor components, including all electrical connections and refrigerant lines. They’ll look for signs of damage, whether from wear and tear or external factors like rodents and impacts. Then, they’ll test your system to ensure it functions as expected.
If the technician finds a problem, they’ll perform basic troubleshooting steps and adjustments to try to solve it. They’ll inform you of the costs involved if the issue requires a replacement part. They can discuss replacement options with you if they discover any problems requiring costly repairs.
If your HVAC is in good working order, the technician will clean your system. They’ll examine its air filter and let you know if it needs replacement. They’ll clean and lubricate its moving parts, including your HVAC fans. They’ll also clean your system’s evaporator and condenser coils. Then, they’ll straighten any bent fins they find on either coil. If you have a gas furnace, they’ll clean its burners to support continued complete combustion.
Next, the technician will make any necessary adjustments to your system. That includes tightening electrical connections and adjusting belt tensions. They’ll also check your HVAC refrigerant level and add more liquid if necessary. If your thermostat isn’t reading accurately, they’ll recalibrate it.
What Are the Benefits of HVAC Maintenance?
Regular HVAC maintenance is pivotal in maximizing your investment in an HVAC system. It yields the following benefits.
Keeps HVAC Running Efficiently
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 55% of the average home’s energy consumption goes toward heating and cooling. So, keeping your HVAC running as efficiently as possible should be your priority. Experts estimate that your HVAC will lose between 1% and 5% of its efficiency yearly without maintenance.
Reduces Repair Costs
Another benefit of regular HVAC maintenance is that it allows you to fix problems before they worsen. That reduces your cumulative repair costs during the lifespan of your system. Plus, it can prevent the need for emergency repair services due to sudden system failures. Avoiding a single incident like that means a maintenance visit has paid for itself.
Increased System Lifespan
On average, you can expect a central AC to last about 15 years with regular maintenance. A gas furnace should last 20 years or more. However, foregoing regular maintenance can cut those lifespans significantly. You could lose up to five years of reliable use by skipping regular maintenance, depending on your system type.
Satisfies Warranty Requirements
When you install a new HVAC system, it will come with a new warranty. Most HVAC warranties protect you from unexpected part failures for up to 10 years. However, sticking to a regular maintenance schedule is a requirement of HVAC warranties. If you experience a part failure, your HVAC manufacturer will want proof that you’ve kept your end of the bargain. Otherwise, they’ll refuse to cover the cost of necessary replacement parts.
Improved Safety
Regular maintenance will also help keep your HVAC equipment running safely throughout its life. Maintenance guarantees periodic inspection of a gas furnace’s heat exchanger. A cracked heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide and threaten the safety of everyone in your home. It also ensures your AC won’t have any environmentally harmful refrigerant leaks going unnoticed.
Enhanced Indoor Air Quality
Whenever your HVAC runs, it affects the indoor air quality of your whole home. Regular maintenance ensures there are no accumulated dirt or allergens in your HVAC system. It also prevents the growth of mold on your HVAC’s evaporator coils. That preserves your home’s indoor air quality and helps protect the health of all your household members.
Improved Comfort
Finally, regular HVAC maintenance will help your system keep your home comfortable. An HVAC system can experience declining performance if it goes too long without inspection and adjustment. That could leave your home sweltering in the summer heat or shivering in the cold of winter. If you have elderly or ailing people in your home, reliable HVAC performance is even more crucial.
What Are the Costs of HVAC Maintenance?
The cost for yearly HVAC maintenance can vary depending on your system type and who’s performing the work. In general, however, you can expect your necessary annual maintenance to cost between $150 and $250. Of course, we offer convenient maintenance plan memberships that decrease those costs significantly. Our plan comes with two yearly maintenance visits and priority access to repair services. It includes repair discounts as well as lifetime parts and labor warranties. It’s also billed monthly for easy integration into your household budget.
The Final Analysis
Of course, too many variables exist to create a precise one-size-fits-all cost-benefit analysis of HVAC maintenance. For one thing, there’s no way to quantify some of the benefits of regular maintenance. However, we can work with some ballpark figures to help you make an informed choice. First, let’s assume that your air conditioner’s installation cost was around average. That would mean you spent roughly $7,000. If you also have a furnace, its average cost should have been around $5,500. Together, that represents a $12,500 investment in your home.
Since a well-maintained AC should last about 15 years, it represents a cost of $467 for each year of operation. Add an average maintenance cost of $100 per year, and your cost rises to $567. Remember, your total yearly maintenance costs cover your heating and cooling. Without maintenance, you can expect about 10 years from your air conditioner. That would mean you’re spending $700 for each year of your system’s projected lifespan. So, a maintained AC is cheaper and will give you fewer headaches. That’s a win for regular maintenance.
A well-maintained gas furnace can last for up to 20 years. Using the average mentioned above, that works out to a cost of $275 per year. Then, add in your yearly $100 maintenance expense, raising the total to $375. By contrast, skipping maintenance might mean you get 15 years or fewer from your furnace. At best, that works out to $367 per year of your furnace’s life. In other words, neglecting maintenance would only save you $8 a year. And it would increase the odds of safety issues and performance problems for your furnace.
Your Trusted HVAC Maintenance Experts
The bottom line is that HVAC maintenance is worth it in every case. And if you live in Anaheim, CA, trust Sano Heating & Air Conditioning to handle the work for you. We offer both a la carte and membership-based HVAC maintenance. We also provide HVAC installation, repair, ductwork, and indoor air quality services. We’ve served the area since 2018, and our HVAC technicians have years of experience beyond that. We also have a long list of positive customer reviews demonstrating our commitment to providing affordable, quality HVAC services.
If you need HVAC maintenance in Anaheim, call Sano Heating & Air Conditioning today!
