Your Home’s Unsung Hero

Homes are frequently the biggest investment a person will make. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to have a place to call their own. Once they do, they can make as many changes as they want to be both proud of their property and experience joy every time they walk through the front door.

Yet, for all the satisfaction granite countertops, hardwood floors and impressive theater systems give, they matter next to nothing without one key factor: a working central HVAC system.

In fact, 24/7 Wall St. conducted a study of the most common elements home buyers were willing to invest in using data provided by the National Association of Realtors. They found that a central HVAC system was the top priority with homeowners, with over 69% of them opting to pay more than the home’s perceived market value if it included central HVAC.

This category even beat out factors like the home’s age, the inclusion of new stainless steel appliances and walk-in closets. 60% of home buyers in all age groups considered central HVAC “very important” when looking for a home.

This often-overlooked feature clearly makes more of a difference in people’s lives than they are aware of, making your local HVAC technician an integral part in keeping your family happy, healthy and comfortable.

Hot Blooded? Cold as Ice? How Temperature Can Affect Mood

One important concept to remember is that HVAC is something most people take for granted unless it’s gone. You can observe this effect after visiting someone whose system is currently on the fritz or who is trying to go without HVAC for as long as possible. The most common reaction is immediate discomfort and a desire to change your environmental conditions — whether by adding or removing clothing, flipping on a fan or finding an excuse to leave early to go somewhere the temperature is more enjoyable.

Yet, an uncomfortable temperature in your environment can affect a lot more than the fun you are having. Psychological and educational research has concluded that enduring a temperature outside your comfort zone can:

• Decrease productivity
• Lead to irritability
• Cause irrational behavior or mistakes
• Disrupt sleep patterns
• Directly affect energy levels

Psychology expert website PsychCentral even performed a literature review that found that when regions are exposed to heat waves for extended periods, a correlating spike in aggression and drug abuse can result.

A study from Cornell University similarly found that when temperatures were held at 68° F rather than 77°, employees at a large insurance company made 44% more mistakes. Another study from the Council of Education Facility Planners International revealed that students taking tests at 61° and 81° scored nearly twenty points lower on average than when the room was kept at a comfortable 72°.

While you are not taking tests or filing insurance claims at home, you are trying to remain content and comfortable. Being too cold makes your body focus too much on using energy to stay warm, and being hot can force your body into “standby” mode where you are too fatigued to do much at all. Both conditions can eventually lead to sleep deprivation, which can cause some serious health effects of its own when left unchecked.

Health and Safety

In addition to your mood and your sleep patterns, not having central HVAC installations can even more directly affect your health. Central systems help cycle the air in your home and trap irritants like pollen, dust, pet dander and particulate matter in the filtration system.

Without these systems, these irritants can gradually settle on surfaces in the house. Even with vigorous cleaning, dust, hair and pollen can collect in hard-to-reach places or become entangled in the fibers of furniture and rugs. No matter how hard someone tries to clean these surfaces, you will always be able to “beat” furniture and see large plumes of dust coming off. With central HVAC, these elements get pushed towards air intakes and trapped in a filter, letting the system blow out cleaner, healthier air.

According to the American College of Allergists, 50% of all illnesses are either caused or made worse by poor indoor air quality. Since the average person spends 60 to 90% of their time indoors, having a home that can safely cycle and trap pollutants and irritants can be a major benefit. Homeowners should be sure to continue reaping this benefit by regularly replacing their filter and having their HVAC systems serviced during seasonal downtimes.

Longevity of Your Home

Another crucial way HVAC adds to the comfort of homes is that they keep all the equipment and materials at an ideal temperature. Electronics do not handle heat well. When temperatures soar above the 90s, expensive possessions like LCD televisions can become permanently damaged, according to electronics manufacturer Samsung. Likewise, temperatures just below the 50° range can be enough to freeze the liquid crystal fluid and also cause irrevocable damage.

Your home itself can encounter problems, as well. Structural components like hardwood floors have low tolerance for changes in moisture. Excess humidity can warp or damage floor boards. Moisture in the air can also allow bacteria and mold to flourish inside hard-to-see crevices or wall cavities. Since most air conditioners also have the effect of reducing humidity, a working AC can actually prolong the lifespan of your building materials.

Furthermore, as an alternative to smaller solutions like window units and space heaters, central HVAC systems pose far less of a threat to your home. Window units tend to consume a lot of power. Since they are plugged into regular outlets, they can easily trip circuit breakers or cause dangerous wiring shorts. Space heaters are even more dangerous; leaving them unattended can be a severe fire hazard.

Give Your Local HVAC Contractor Some Thanks

For all of these reasons, HVAC systems have become practically synonymous with “modern comforts.” While air conditioning was first used to entice people to visit movie theaters on hot days, its use has spread to help make millions of people’s lives more bearable.

If you are in the market for a new heating and/or air conditioning system, click here to receive a custom quote from local HVAC contractors. You will receive your free quote in just moments, all without giving any contact information or having a contractor come inspect your home!

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