Austin Air Companie Blog : Posts Tagged ‘high electric bills’

Air Conditioning Repair Katy Texas

Monday, February 27th, 2023

Hello and welcome to the #1 Katy, Texas air conditioning blog. AC repair for the Katy area can come at a moments notice and nearly any month of the year. It’s why I often provide this context for content I put out. It’s important the information you are using to make comfort decisions for you home is accurate for the climate in which you live.

HVAC is the acronym that describes the system that makes up your heating and cooling for your home. In my climate of Katy, Texas we still have heating systems but they don’t get as much use as our air conditioners. Those in more mild climates may not turn on their AC until as late as June. The argument for those climates is waiting until they have a problem in June or July and saying things like: Well your climate is no different it’s hot everywhere right now. The difference is a hotter climate spends more time at higher temps than a mild climate will. Throw in a healthy dose of humidity and you’ve got a recipe for being uncomfortable. Being comfortable is the purpose of this Austin Air Companie website & Air Conditioning Blog serving the Katy, Texas area. No two homes are alike, no two people are alike when it comes to comfort concerns. I am here to provide you a solution once I understand what your concerns are. My definition of a solution is different than most… I define a solution that will solve the problem you have now without creating new problems. This context is what separates me from most other service providers.

The differences in how much more we run our AC’s for Katy, Texas climate also relates to wear and tear. The more you use something the more likely it is to break. Certainly there will be those that may tell you it’s because of the brand of your system. This is merely a con game to convince you that a “name” is going to cure all your troubles so they can sell you a new box with a different name on it. If you spend a few hours watching my video content on my you tube channel or combing thru various blog posts on my HVAC website(s), I think there’s enough info here to tell you that a brand name system — whatever brand it is – is no guarantee that it will or won’t break. I say this primarily to those who come to this climate that aren’t accustomed to spending money on air conditioning concerns. This is additional context to show you where I am coming from and going to. You spend money on AC via a myriad of methods… maintenance & repair costs and eventually replacement costs. Skimping on any one of these winds up costing you more on utilities. So you pay regardless.

I am an AC repair man first. AC repairs in Katy, Texas for just over 29 years now. I’ve been doing air conditioning repairs for longer than some of you have been alive. This isn’t about bragging. This is about printing the truth in a world in which very little is based on truth. It’s usually some gimmick of promising this or that – coming to your house for free to do professional work. Why would a professional do work for free? I’ve seen the ads on TV and I am assuming that you’ve seen them too with this comment. The con or myth if you will is doing things for free to get their foot in the door. Their attitude will do a 180 if not a 360 degree turn once they are inside your house. I’ve been there done that.

Look I know anyone can say whatever they want on the internet so I take the time to write my own blog posts on subjects like this because it’s important to give you some realistic assumptions. I’ve taken the time to produce a video myself. No heavy production costs I filmed it with my cell phone & edited it sitting in front of a green screen in my office that I run out of my home to show you (embedded below). I provide you context with in that video as to what I can do for you may be similar or significantly different depending on the condition of your AC equipment. I have helped hundreds and hundreds of your neighbors, I know I can do something similar for you too.

Tired of being uncomfortable in or near Katy, Texas?

Call Ray Austin right now @ 832~475~6895 and schedule your AC service.

If you decide to watch the video below pay attention why air conditioning is more than just a box or a series of boxes. Just because it turns on  oand off doesn’t mean it is working. There are parts of the video below that show this. This AC system you have is based on science, not magic or brand of the month club.

AC repair video:

AC Repair Katy, Texas A cool story in which I had to travel back in time to be able to tell it.

So why would I talk about differences of climate in a blog post about Katy, Texas?

This is primarily because a lot of people have been moving to Texas over the past couple of years. Many are uneducated when it comes to the air conditioning concerns of a hot climate. The climate of Katy, Texas is unique in that it’s not only hot but it’s also very humid. The more humid a climate, the more problems it presents to feel comfortable, especially when you move here from a more mild climate. Many areas of the USA have essentially a 2 to 3 month cooling or air conditioning need.

I am here to help you make better comfort choices. There are many changes coming to the HVAC equipment market in the next few years. A popular refrigerant we use now is going to be phased down and out in the next few years with a new equipment ban that will likely take effect in 2025. I have a section dedicated to explaining this topic in it’s entirety as well as a recent update in 2023. Click here for info on these changes.

HVAC for a hot climate isn’t about gimmicks if you choose that path it is my professional opinion it won’t last. You will always need a good HVAC contractor if you live in a climate like Katy, Texas. If I fixed your AC once I can fix it again.

Thank you for visiting with me today. I hope I’ve cleared up some misconceptions and possibly a few myths. As always I hope your day is comfortable.

About the Author of this Katy, Texas Air Conditioning Blog:

My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas | Richmond, Texas | Fulshear, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with 29 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems as of 2023 (TACLB28416E). I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

I also own and operate a home rental business. This is to list my qualifications. If you want someone with less skill or free advice I am not it (most of the time). If I run a free call it’s because of your service history – my decision, not yours. Time is worth more than money. There are exceptions to every rule. If I have no service history from your address it’s most likely to cost a fee to come out. That service fee can be credited toward any work you decide to have me do for you.

Ray Austin is a business man & Austin Air Companie is run as a for profit business. If you are looking for gimmicks this isn’t going to be a good fit for me or for you. I am a one man show and the work you see in all my videos, the videos themselves are all my own work. My opinion is all you will ever get, usually this comes in the form of options in which you can pick from once I inform you of your potential choices.

My view is an old proverb saying that goes like this:

Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. OR Too many knuckle heads attempting a career path they shouldn’t  have can cause more trouble than they’re worth. I was once a hard working tech for a major AC company so this isn’t to suggest there aren’t good HVAC techs out there.

About Austin Air Companie: Celebrating 15 years in 2023. (By this time I’ve proven my methods work.) Is it always perfect? No. Not even the gimmick providers do that. Mechanical equipment regardless of brand breaks for a wide variety of reasons. If I fixed it once I can fix it again. (repeatable business) If it’s not repeatable you’re out of business. — the number you have reached has been disconnected or no longer in service. (I illustrate it for you so you can vision it.)

Thank you for at least considering me as your comfort provider.

High Electric Bills In Katy Texas

Monday, August 24th, 2020

This time of the year for the Katy, Texas area it is not uncommon for electric bills to start inducing a bit of shock and awe into people. This blog post is for the Katy, Texas area primarily because we run and depend on our AC systems upwards of 10 months of the year most years. If you keep your dial set at 75F degrees that is around 2300 hours. That’s alot of run time. If you like it cooler than 75F in your home, your AC system is running much more than normal. If the AC operational cost is 65% of your homes utility cost and you are running the AC really hard? Well there’s good reason why your electric bills are high, but sometimes this is more complicated than you think.

UPDATE: June 10, 2021. New embedded video below updating my own personal experience & better describing what this new air conditioning technology is, how it works and why you’ll likely want one.

Complications of high light bills is that no two people pay the same electric rate any more. So part of your problem *may be* that you are paying a higher rate than you should. But fear not… I break this down like no one. Because I made some upgrades at my own home in late 2019. I saved some old light bills to show you comparisons of how my old 14 SEER single speed AC performed versus the new 18 SEER Inverter AC.

To find out if this new technology may be right for you? You must schedule an in house visit. There is a cost for this service. It is to determine if this is right for you or not. This can only be done in person & you must be the owner of the home in question. This is not for renters.  To get on my schedule call Ray Austin at 832-475-6895.

Whoa, Inverter AC? What’s that? It’s a recent new comer to this market. As with everything especially Air Conditioners there are pros and cons to this. However, I think the pros outweigh the cons and because this new machine has the ability to cut your light bill in half. That alone makes it worth the risk. (It pays for itself.)  Is it for everyone? Probably not. If you like it cool with less humidity in your home there isn’t anything that I know of that can beat it. Obviously the more AC systems you have at your home, the more it will cost. It involves equipment replacement to various degrees. But it is a smarter overall solution as there are no proprietary controls to worry about as well as a few other perks.

Even if your AC is less than 10 years old, this *might* still cut your electric bill in half. It’s not just a run of the mill new air conditioner. It’s an air conditioner that ramps up and down depending on the heat load on the home. Your current AC is probably either on or off. This air conditioner has many different speeds. This is how it saves you money off your electric bill. Then all you have to do is find a good electric rate and you’re set.

How much could you save every month? If your AC is really old like 15 years or more… you’ll wonder why you didn’t look into this sooner.

Air Conditioning Contractor Cuts His Electric Bill In Half With New Inverter Air Conditioner

Here’s some proof to back up what I am saying.  The reason I am comparing to 2018 is that I paid a higher rate in 2019, I am trying to be as fair as possible here. This isn’t a gimmick. (nor is it solar panels, the biggest caveat with solar is no room to put them + higher up front cost). These bills are for my home in Katy, Texas a single story home 1910 square foot, with 1 HVAC system configured as 4 Ton Inverter AC system. (over 50 speeds the compressor runs in.)

 

AC efficiency comparison

May 2020: The savings are ramping up!

High electric bills comparison

June 2020: The savings holding steady at 50% reduction. It’s been HOT!

June 2020 Electric bill comparison

July 2020: Man you thought it was hot in June? Really hot this month, the savings take a turn higher! Wow! Over $100 in savings, that’s awesome!

July 2020 Electric Bill Savings Ramp up

Comfort means different things to different people. Some will disregard what it costs to operate the machine, they are more worried about the upfront cost not realizing that buying a better machine will eventually pay for itself via a reduction in the cost to run it. Obviously if you don’t run the machine you have now because you like it hot in your home, then the machine you have now is good for you.

If you like it cool like 75F or lower, this new machine may be the one you’ve been looking for. Thank you for visiting with me today! As always I hope your day is comfortable.

About the author of this Katy, Texas Air Conditioning blog:

My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas | Richmond, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with 26 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems as of August 2020. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs. I also own and operate a Rental Real Estate business. I know real estate! It’s unlikely to find another company truly like me. When I say ‘Service’: I actually mean it.

Austin Air Companie

832-475-6895

“Your home comfort from A to Z”

Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

A Ray Austin HVAC Service Company

The home of better AC service.

Welcome home!

For more Air Conditioning Information:

Katy, Tx AC blog, service and repair videos,

tips and everything air conditioning and heating

for your home you can always visit me on my main website @

https://www.austinairco.com

 

Better Service. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

 

 

Air Conditioning NEW BREED: Communicating HVAC System

Monday, August 24th, 2015

Air Conditioning NEW BREED: Communication between parts makes for one smart air conditioner and a really comfortable customer.

It also delivers better performance, better comfort, better reliability, and better warranty coverage. So what is the catch?

It’s designed as a complete HVAC system. There are no piece meal options to get this kind of Air Conditioning system for your home.

You might be thinking at this point what exactly is piece meal and what exactly is a complete HVAC system? Most HVAC systems are Natural gas furnace with electric or grid tied air conditioning that consists of an out door condensing unit and an evaporator coil with two copper tubes known as what is called a line set that runs between the condensing unit and the indoor evaporator coil.

With the above type system there are 4 parts to the HVAC system that make up a communicating HVAC system. Now just because you replace the whole HVAC system at once doesn’t make it a communicating system. This is a special system with special parts and special controls. The outdoor equipment communicates digitally with the indoor equipment for the best performance available today in mid tier HVAC systems. Currently it is my opinion these systems are the most reliable with the best in warranty guarantees and because of this makes them a best buy when buying a complete system. Everything you would want in an HVAC system right?

Because of the energy efficiency achieved by them in most cases the cost of the system will be recouped within the life span of the equipment and in some cases even faster depending on usage habits and the age of your current HVAC system.

So now that you understand the number of pieces that make up a complete HVAC system you are probably wondering what a piece meal system is. To describe it accurately it is otherwise known as a mismatched system. Mismatched more or less means the brands of the system are different, there is no ARI number available to determine efficiency and so on. In other words if your out door unit (condenser) failed and you only replace the out door unit condenser without replacing the furnace and the evaporator coil in side the home either attic or closet at the same time that you replace the other pieces.

This method doesn’t necessarily mean the piece meal system won’t work, it just means that it won’t work as well and won’t have many features (it’s either on or off) and won’t have as good of guarantees or warranty coverage of the communicating system and it won’t be as energy efficient as the communicating system either.

Air Conditioning Energy efficiency is very important for us Texas residents with the last heat wave with temperatures in the triple digits for 30 days or more. I’m sure people all over this area are going to be complaining of ‘crazy’ high light bills for the next couple of months. This is why an energy efficient HVAC system is a wise investment and will probably do you a big favor to sell your home if and when the time comes. Other people are no different than you when they look for a new home. For some it’s the first thing a prospective home buyer will look at (the AC system).

For those that want to take this to comfort levels out of this world you could add a zone system to this equipment. Stop those thermostat fights dead in their tracks… stop that constant fight of upstairs versus downstairs temperature wars. A zone system added to this type of system is comfort at it’s best. Best reliability, best comfort and efficiency that blows the roof off. How do I know you might ask?

I have had one of these zone systems in my own home since 2007. Realize only a properly designed zone system will perform this way. I have installed several zone systems as of this writing, they are complicated beasts in most scenarios. If the design is not right it will not work. Remember the system has to perform in 80 degree weather just as well as it has to perform in 100+ degree weather as well as 20 degree weather. I design them to work and perform reliably as well as simplicity if the need arises to fix the system. Certainly you don’t want to sit in Texas heat for any longer than necessary. Which brings me to the last very important part.

SERVICE AFTER THE SALE!

I don’t leave my customers in the heat after installing new HVAC equipment or a new HVAC zone system. I stand behind the systems and units I sell and install and I can fix them if that need arises. This is why I say brand doesn’t matter. It’s more important that I can fix it when it breaks. I have been in the HVAC industry for over 20 years there is not a single HVAC brand out there that out lives another brand… just clever marketing and advertising.

If I can fix and repair any Air Conditioning brand… then please tell me what difference does a brand name make?

About the author of this blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

Austin Air Companie
832~475~6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information you can always visit me on my main website @
www.austinairco.com

Better Stuff. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.