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You’ve probably noticed that in summer when you visit certain businesses like malls and movie theaters, the air inside is not just cool, but particularly comfortable. Even when the outside air is quite humid and your car and home AC aren’t making you feel good, a trip to one of these places is refreshing. Is there anything you can do to bring your home AC system closer to what they have? Yes, their buildings have expensive, computerized, closed-loop climate control systems, but there are a few things you can do to relax, feel comfortable, and breathe easier when the air outside gets oppressive. At Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air, we help our Chattanooga, TN customers get the most out of their homes as comfortable summer retreats and gathering places.
Humidity Control Systems Keep the Air Just Right Year ‘Round
The Chattanooga, TN climate varies from season to season, so you need an AC and heating system that keeps up with the changes. Our team can add humidification and dehumidification units to your system that are controlled by your thermostat to adjust your air’s humidity just where you want it as the weather changes. In the winter, you’ll get a bit more moisture in the air so your skin doesn’t feel dry and you don’t get those doorknob zaps from static electricity. In the summer, you’ll come in from the heavy, hot, wet air and feel refreshed by the cool air with just the right level of dryness.
Air Filters Make the Air More Breathable and Pure
It’s important to have our AC repair team replace your unit’s air filters regularly, but we can also upgrade them to filter more from the air, even to the point of meeting HEPA standards and getting all but the tiniest particles out of your airflow. That can be a real plus for those who have allergies to airborne material such as pet dander and pollen, even dust, and all the organic material that it contains. An upgraded air filtration system can replace all those small portable units you may have around the house, especially in a baby’s or senior’s room. You’ll probably notice that your housecleaning gets easier as there’s less dust on surfaces.
Germicidal UV Equipment
UV light has been in use by doctor’s offices, food service establishments, and other places that are sensitive to airborne infectious agents, and it is now available as an add-on to your home heating and AC system. The unit, easily installed by our AC repair technicians, exposes your recirculating air to the UV light, reducing the risks to your family and visitors from airborne pathogens.
Duct Cleaning, Major and Routine
Just like your pipes, your ventilation ducts get clogged over time, as material passing through sticks to the walls of the ducts and then attracts even more, eventually lining them with dust and other contamination. Filtration installed by our Chattanooga, TN AC repair personnel will help reduce the material passing through and so cut down on the clogs, but periodic duct cleaning by our AC repair team is the direct answer to keeping the passages clear. Major cleaning can make up for years or even decades of accumulation, and routine cleaning every few years can lift up the material sticking to your ducts and clean down to the bare metal. As the air flowing through your system clears, you’ll notice many breathing and cleaning benefits.
Zoning Your AC System
Managing your airflow to meet the specific needs of your spaces can make life in your home much more comfortable while also saving energy. By having our AC repair team divide your duct system into zones and adding ventilation fans for each, you can control the air to your bedrooms, living room, and basement separately, setting each one for the comfort level you desire or setting a temperature for unused spaces that will minimize AC and heating system operation. In this way, you can keep your bedrooms warm until just before bedtime, then bring them down to the temperature you desire, while cooling your living room for visitors, then letting the temperature rise when they leave and you go to bed. The reduced demand on your heating and cooling also limits the number of times they cycle to provide temperature adjustments, reducing wear and tear on your furnace and compressor or other comfort equipment. Zoned systems are easy to set and operate individually, with thermostats in each location. More advanced systems also use sensors in each area and a central control unit.
Thermostat Control Systems
Our AC repair team can replace your simple thermostats with more advanced ones that will save energy and add convenience. The most basic upgrade is one that changes thermostat settings based on the time of day, allowing you to choose a day and nighttime temperature target. As the thermostat’s clock cycles, it will automatically adjust your heating or cooling to the desired temperature. Other models add humidity control, multiple time settings, intelligent electronics that “learn” your habits and preferred settings for each day, and even more advanced units that interface with control units for centralized home comfort control. An increasingly common variety of centralized control is the “smart home” controller, which integrates diverse features for your convenience and comfort.
Smart Home Connections
Our AC repair personnel can connect your heating and cooling systems, especially those already in a zoned configuration, into a smart home system that evaluates and anticipates everything from your current temperature and the outside temperature to weather forecasts, solar energy shining into the home, and the adjustment of shades and smart windows that affect your home’s temperature. These systems have been programmed to minimize energy use and provide precise climate control for homes, even responding to spur-of-the-moment voice commands to indicate you’re going out and the system should not bother to adjust for the evening temperature. With well-designed heating and cooling capacity, your system can respond to the commands from an intelligent controller and approach the precision of industrial HVAC systems in some ways.
AC Repairs for Performance Upgrades
If your heating and cooling units are not performing to the level required to keep your home comfortable, our AC repair group can evaluate the situation and determine whether your system needs repairs to restore its previous capacity, or whether it isn’t capable to meet the demands of the current heating and cooling needs. In many cases, our AC repair experts may recommend replacing your unit with a newer model based on economic factors as well: modern units are much more efficient than even systems from a few years ago, and seasonal installation packages plus manufacturer incentives can put you ahead when all financial factors are considered. Installation is usually quick and efficient, and if you want additional upgrades such as a zoned system, humidity management, and HEPA filtration, they can be installed at the same time. A well-planned replacement by our Chattanooga, TN AC repair team can leave you with a better bottom line and a more comfortable home as well.
Insulating and Managing Your Home Energy Use
Ask our AC repair team about thermal imaging of your home for an important piece of the puzzle that is keeping your home comfortable with the least energy use. This colorful image will indicate which parts of your home are making your system less effective as they provide an escape for warmth in the winter and a way in for heat in the summer. You can then consider insulating your home to address these losses and increase the effectiveness of your system. Once you are aware of where your losses are located, you can also make decisions about managing your zones for best energy use, such as making your basement a cool refuge during the day and not spending so much energy keeping your living room cool when the walls and windows are letting in heat to counteract your AC. Our AC repair and maintenance team can help you understand your options for managing your home’s energy use as well.
Separate Systems Can Address Specific AC Needs
If you’ve been considering using a window air conditioner to provide cooling to a room with special requirements such as an invalid or infant, especially if your whole-house system is not yet upgraded, we have other options. Our AC repair and installation crew can provide specialized one- or two-room AC units that provide through-wall cooling from an external cooling system, just like many whole-house systems do. These systems are designed to provide separate capacity for a smaller space, allowing you to target your upgrade to one or two rooms and providing full control of the system to the occupant. If you need reliable cooling even through power outages, you can arrange for a small generator or other backup power source to supply the power for this less demanding unit, keeping your loved one cool until power returns. Our AC repair and system design teams can help you create unique solutions to whatever your home comfort needs are.
Making the Decision to Upgrade Is Easier than You Think
As we mentioned, as families’ needs for increased heating and cooling capacity grows, many people are considering upgrading their systems to higher capacity but also higher efficiency units. The combination of factors including installation specials, financing, manufacturer incentives, and combination pricing if other upgrades are selected can provide an attractive financial picture. When reduced energy costs are factored in, it makes the decision easy to make for many homeowners. Our AC repair and installation team understands that operation and ownership costs are also important when considering home comfort, and we work to help you create a balance in your system that works for you.
AC Repair That Keeps You Relaxed and Cool in the Summer
One issue that many homeowners face in the summer is the availability of parts and service for their homes. We recommend that you get to know our team and count on us, and we’ll rush to your assistance if your system fails during the heat of the summer, or the cold of the winter as well. We stock many of the most common parts for easy access, and our team is well-trained and experienced to make most repair jobs simple and quick.
Scheduling Your Maintenance for the “Off Season” Helps Us Help You
Let our team tune-up your heating and cooling systems during the season when we’re less busy, rather than right before it’s time to turn your system on for the season. It will be easier to schedule the appointment that works best for you, and our team will be glad to get your system ready to go and serviced for the season before your neighbors. We’ll perform extensive preparation including tuning and cleaning your furnace or checking your air conditioning compressor, and for your outdoor unit, we’ll make sure that the wear and tear of the seasons haven’t caused any harm. We’ll make sure the lubrication is up to date, ensure that all components and motors are starting and working correctly, clean condensers and other areas, and make sure the cover is secure. If it’s time to add coolant or replace the compressor motor, repair the condensers or make other fixes, our team will do what’s needed to make sure that your system is ready to work hard throughout the summer.
Your Home AC Repair and Maintenance Experts
As you can tell, our team is much more than installation and repair providers, we’re your local comfort system experts who can help you implement a system that meets your needs efficiently. Metro Plumbing, Heating and Air has the answers for your Chattanooga, TN home comfort from key repairs that make a big difference to system changes you’ll feel. When the time comes, we can install a new, efficient, and powerful system that you’ll enjoy for years to come. Give our expert heating and AC team a call for AC repairs, maintenance, and consultations.
