I did a short video talking about the upcoming weather we are expecting, but I also wanted to do a post as this scenario plays out numerous time throughout a year. If you have a known issue or even a suspicion about your heating/cooling equipment, don't wait until the weather is really bad to call and here's why.
This weekend we are expecting the lowest temperatures we have seen in almost a year and when this happens we (hvac contractors) get flooded with service request. At first we will take anything that comes in but schedules quickly get backed up and wait times for service get longer and longer leaving homeowners in undesirable conditions. In my video I explain that there are roughly 30 contractors in our county, of which each one will a single technician on call for emergency service. Each of those techs will likely only be able to respond to six calls per day (effectively) leaving Onslow county with the ability to handle lets say about 200 calls per day. That sounds like a lot but it's not. I've seen a single contractor get over 35 requests per day from their existing clientele base, meaning they have NO room on the schedule for new clients. Obviously this was with a larger well established company, but none the less it removes companies like that from the pool of available contractors to respond to last second requests.
In my video I talk about another issue that makes situations worse which is, if you call when the temps are truly extreme and you need a part that has to be ordered and scheduled, well that means even though you called, you still won't have relief for a while. This applies to warranty equipment as well. I know that many people think that since a piece of equipment is under warranty that repairs will be expedited, but unfortunately it's typically the opposite. Manufacturer's will only warranty approved special parts for warranty repairs, meaning there's a good chance that those parts will absolutely need to be ordered and repaired another day.
Planning is key in these situations and I view it just like when a hurricane is coming. Do you wait till the day prior to landfall to rush to the store and buy up all the milk, bread, and eggs? No, you go several days before to ensure you are able to get what you want. Emergency HVAC repairs are the same and the scarcity of available labor shorts the supply during peak demand. HVAC contractors can't magically hire "seasonal" labor as it's a skilled craft that takes many years to perfect so when the demand is high, the supply is very low.
Getting ahead of the game and scheduling services or even a piece of mind inspection prior to the mad rush could save you not only money but headache. Most companies have increased rates on weekends and holidays (due to technicians being in overtime which increases labor burden), so you will pay more if you call during these times and it always seems that's when systems break down. Call during the week or two prior to extreme temps, schedule during normal business hours for services, and you should save some money. Hopefully this helps someone and as always, please leave a comment and let us know if you are finding the blogs useful.
Kenneth Casebier
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