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My guess is business is slow because it's been a mild winter. (Currently in the 60s) Folks don't need to use their HVAC as much, and will put off maintenance and repairs until it's necessary. If they need heat they'll layer up or use a little space heater.
Well, I'm one who's spent money on my HVAC system for sure. Carrier had great 0% financing for 72 months so I upgraded from an old, small Trane unit to a Carrier variable speed 18 SEER unit. The game-changer for me, though, was that I was able to wrap a new high efficiency gas furnace and gas water heater (both of which were old) into the same 0% deal. So I have back-up heat if the boiler goes out and much better A/C to boot and no interest payments: win-win for me. Both systems have been wonderful so far!
It's usually not financially worth it to get the nicest high efficiency units. Great for the HVAC companies as the margins are larger on the repairs and install. A 21 seer Trane compressor alone probably cost more than my AC and furnace. I've had houses on both ends and the changes in utilities bills were barely noticeable. You're not going to get more rent or higher sale price because your AC is a 21 seer unit.
We upgraded our 30 year old system last year. Same as cash financing. In our southern climate, there was some issue with Freon, yada yada. Anyway we are adding a few hundred sq ft to the house, and glad the system can handle it.
I just had my annual maintenance done on my furnace. It's a good company, but they have the annoying practice of having their technicians push to sell you things you don't need. I just keep saying no, but this time the guy tried TWO different pitches, and I said, "I know you have to do this, but I don't want those things". (They are trying to push some sort of filter system that they claim keeps out all sorts of nasty things, with the emphasis on "viruses"--obviously using the current fear ploy, lol, and then their usual "duct cleaning special".)
He laughed and said, "Well, it's been a mild winter, people's furnaces aren't breaking, and business has been slow."
I just had my annual maintenance done on my furnace. It's a good company, but they have the annoying practice of having their technicians push to sell you things you don't need. I just keep saying no, but this time the guy tried TWO different pitches, and I said, "I know you have to do this, but I don't want those things". (They are trying to push some sort of filter system that they claim keeps out all sorts of nasty things, with the emphasis on "viruses"--obviously using the current fear ploy, lol, and then their usual "duct cleaning special".)
He laughed and said, "Well, it's been a mild winter, people's furnaces aren't breaking, and business has been slow."
I can SO relate. We have a shiny new, one year old state of the art system, and we’ve paid $12. a month for the company’s maintenance plan. I’m thinking, why am I paying for annual maintenance for a new system? We had our first check up last month and the guy tried to sell us a pollen filter and something else. Oh hell no.
I guess if we get hit by lightening, which has happened, we will get a discount on the repair. Come on, lightening.
I just had my annual maintenance done on my furnace. It's a good company, but they have the annoying practice of having their technicians push to sell you things you don't need. I just keep saying no, but this time the guy tried TWO different pitches, and I said, "I know you have to do this, but I don't want those things". (They are trying to push some sort of filter system that they claim keeps out all sorts of nasty things, with the emphasis on "viruses"--obviously using the current fear ploy, lol, and then their usual "duct cleaning special".)
He laughed and said, "Well, it's been a mild winter, people's furnaces aren't breaking, and business has been slow."
If he was talking about germicidal lights, they work.
If he was talking about germicidal lights, they work.
I don't know. We didn't get that far. I'm not that big of a germaphobe to consider paying $1000 to install something I've never needed that's being sold to me based on good old fear marketing.
I can't confirm or deny or speak towards the industry as a whole.
In my experience, I plan on getting heated floors in one room as opposed to calling in HVAC since that would be prohibitively more expensive and require a lot more space than I have to make it worth it.
Perhaps the rise of utilizing heated flooring is having an effect.
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