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March 16th, 2023
Since our home heating and air conditioning systems are typically outside, in the basement, attic, utility closet, or crawl space, they are usually out of the way, making them fall under the “out of sight, out of mind” category of our home appliances. Despite this, they are one of the most important functions of our home. Our HVAC systems keep us warm on a cold winter day and cool on a summer afternoon.
Are you a homeowner that tends to neglect your residential HVAC system? If so, did you know that Fire and Ice offers all its customers heating and cooling maintenance agreements? Investing in a preventative maintenance agreement can ensure your HVAC system is performing well, detect problems early, extend the life of your HVAC system, and so much more!
This article will explain what an HVAC maintenance agreement is, the types of routine maintenance agreements we provide, the benefits of having one, and how to sign up for your own maintenance agreement through Fire and Ice.
Let’s get started!
What Is an HVAC Maintenance Agreement?
For starters, it's important to know what a maintenance agreement is before signing up for one. Did you know that the number one reason why residential HVAC systems lose their overall efficiency and comfort is because of improper maintenance?
On average, your residential HVAC units are supposed to be serviced by a heating and cooling specialist at least twice per year. As a rule of thumb, you should have your AC unit serviced in the spring before the hot and humid temperatures hit and your furnace serviced in the fall before winter is full speed ahead.
This is where a maintenance agreement (sometimes called a service agreement or service contract) comes in handy. It is an agreement between you and your HVAC contractor that requires them to regularly repair, clean, alter, and test your furnace, air conditioner, and other HVAC equipment for proper operation.
Are Maintenance Plans a Bad Idea?
Extra insurance is always a good idea, especially regarding your home's comfort. The biggest disadvantage of investing in an HVAC maintenance plan is the initial investment. Let’s think about the typical price of a routine tune-up, check out, and diagnostic, which can range anywhere between $99 to $300 or more.
On average, an HVAC system is supposed to last between 15-20 years with proper maintenance. Enrolling in a maintenance plan guarantees two checks on your home comfort system a year, which can increase the lifespan of your unit and significantly reduce your overhead costs.
On top of that, your heating and cooling system becomes less efficient over time, which is why a maintenance plan becomes more valuable to many homeowners as they age. Keep in mind that your HVAC system will need more TLC to run efficiently and make your home investment last as long as possible.
This can help you avoid a costly repair or replacement bill years before you’re ready for it!
So the worst case scenario is that you break even compared to the normal cost of regular tune-ups. The best-case scenario is that you save yourself thousands and have a more comfortable home!
Fire and Ice Maintenance Plans, Pricing, and Features
At Fire and Ice, we have three types of maintenance agreement plans: bronze, silver, and gold. Each has its benefits, but let's focus on each individually to help you decide what plan is right for you, your home, and your comfort.
Bronze
We call this our reliability plan (formerly our “Better” plan). This maintenance agreement is perfect for the average homeowner with a relatively new HVAC system who wants to keep up with their tune-ups and maintain their warranty. For our current pricing of the Bronze plan, look at our maintenance agreement page by clicking here!
Features of the Bronze Plan:
● Two prepaid Tune-ups per year
● A one-year warranty period for repairs performed
● A lifetime workmanship guarantee on all repairs
● 36-hour priority service for emergency services
● Pre-season scheduling
● No overtime fees
● 10% discount on any equipment repairs
● Convenient monthly payment options
● 5% accessory discounts
● And $50 in HVAC equipment replacement credits for each program participation
Silver
This is our efficiency plan (formerly our “best” plan). This plan is perfect for homeowners who want more than the what the bronze plan provides. By signing up for this maintenance plan, you are investing in the longevity of your HVAC system and the overall comfort of your home. For the current pricing of our Silver plan, check out our maintenance agreement page here!
Features of the Silver Plan:
● Two prepaid Tune-ups per year
● A two-year warranty period for repairs performed (also known as parts and labor)
● A lifetime workmanship guarantee on all repair
● 24-hour priority service for emergency services
● Pre-season scheduling
● No overtime fees
● 20% discount on any equipment repairs
● Convenient monthly payment options
● 10% accessory discounts
● $75 in HVAC equipment replacement credits for each program participation
● Your choice of HVAC technician
● One pound of free R410A refrigerant in a 12 month cycle
● And 5% off additional HVAC maintenance agreements (per system)
Gold
Last but certainly not least is our gold HVAC maintenance contract (formerly known as our “fantastic” plan). In our line of work, we like to call this the “Peace of Mind” plan.
This plan is for homeowners who want to take the utmost care of their HVAC systems. Whether it's a new system and you want to keep your warranties valid or an older system you're not prepared to replace, this HVAC service agreement is perfect for you. For the current pricing of our Gold plan, explore our maintenance agreement page here!
Features of the Gold Plan:
● Two prepaid Tune-ups per year
● A three-year warranty period for repairs performed (also known as parts and labor)
● A lifetime workmanship guarantee on all repair
● Same-day priority service for emergency services
● Pre-season scheduling
● No overtime fees
● 30% discount on any equipment repairs
● Convenient monthly payment options
● 15% accessory discounts
● $125 in HVAC equipment replacement credits for each program participation
● Your choice of HVAC technician
● One pound of free R410A refrigerant in a 12 month cycle
● 10% off additional HVAC maintenance agreements (per system)
● Waived diagnostic fee upon a repair
● And your choice of a Saturday maintenance appointment
At Fire and Ice, we know that investing in a heating and cooling system is on par with buying a car or even a house. Because of this, it's important to have a preventative maintenance agreement for each of your HVAC systems and an HVAC company you can trust to get the job done right.
Examples of Potential Savings
You can think of an HVAC maintenance agreement like the operating costs of a car. Your car will need several oil changes throughout the year, depending on how much you drive. Regular oil changes help your car last longer and ensure it won't break down on you in the middle of the highway; the same goes for your HVAC system.
Routine maintenance and investing in an HVAC service agreement with Fire and Ice can save homeowners time and, more importantly, money. Let’s look at some examples where having a maintenance plan would benefit a homeowner.
Example #1: Let’s say you have an older furnace, and it's the dead of winter, and you’re having loved ones staying with you over the holidays.
Since we know that your HVAC system is a piece of technology, and technology is our friend but not always our best friend, anything can happen.
While in the middle of hosting your family for the holidays, your furnace decides to break down. A normal customer would have to wait until we could get a tech out, which could be a couple of days. However, you are a Fire and Ice customer that invests in our maintenance agreements.
If this is the case, you receive priority scheduling (typically same day, depending on your type of plan). Meaning that one of our friendly and knowledgeable technicians can come out, diagnose, and fix the problem, and you can get back to hosting!
Example #2: You're an older customer, you live alone, and you can’t make it up or down the stairs to your HVAC system to regularly change the filter.
Did you know that residential air filters should be checked or changed on at least a monthly basis? Enrolling in one of our maintenance plans guarantees at least two home visits yearly, one in the spring and one in the fall.
During your routine maintenance check, our technician will swap out your air filter for a new one and check all the necessary components to ensure proper function.
So, If you are a customer who can’t make it to your HVAC system to change the filter, a maintenance agreement will ensure that your filters are changed at least twice a year.
Remember, if you neglect your HVAC system and its filters, your system will suffer, quickly turning a $79 (or higher) filter charge into a several thousand dollar purchase.
Not to mention, routine maintenance will check for proper airflow, temperature rise, and a combustion analysis. Each of these components provides more energy efficiency, cleaner air, and reliability. Thus, giving homeowners peace of mind and lower monthly energy costs.
What Are the Benefits of Investing in an HVAC Maintenance Agreement?
Being prepared and agreeing to an HVAC service contract is one of the best investments you can make for your home. You rely on your HVAC units to keep you at your preferred temperature all year round, regardless of the temperature outside.
There are several benefits when it comes to investing in a scheduled maintenance agreement. Including, but not limited to:
Ensure Manufacturer Warranty- All HVAC manufacturers require routine and proof of preventative maintenance documentation to keep your warranties intact. Failure to do so will result in a voided warranty. Thus, resulting in you, the homeowner, paying out of pocket for HVAC repairs, replacements, and installations.
Lower Your Energy Cost- Who doesn't like to save money? Utilizing one of our HVAC maintenance plans will keep your equipment running efficiently and quietly while reducing your monthly energy bills. That's a win for you, your wallet, and the environment!
Extend the Life of Your Equipment- As a rule of thumb, routinely serviced and maintained equipment has a longer lifespan than those that don’t.
Detect Problems Early- Our preventative maintenance agreements allow homeowners to sign up for a service technician to check their HVAC system twice a year. Doing so helps prevent underlying problems and stops issues before they result in a complete system breakdown.
Lower Life-Cycle Cost- With regular HVAC maintenance, your furnace, air conditioner, and other HVAC equipment is designed to last somewhere between 15 to 20 years. When you invest in a maintenance agreement, you will experience lower operating and maintenance costs with fewer interruptions between scheduled service calls.
Operate Equipment Safely- Having a licensed technician perform maintenance tasks and inspect your heating and cooling systems for any frayed wires, drain leaks, and other issues that could be hazardous and will help prevent accidents, which will keep you, your home, and your loved ones safe.
Maximized Home Comfort- Your residential HVAC system keeps your home at your optimal comfort level all year round. Our Comfort Assurance Policy is a process that assures homeowners that all of their HVAC questions are answered.
Protecting Your Family’s Health- With an HVAC maintenance agreement, an HVAC technician will come to your home and check the indoor air quality. This allows homeowners to ask questions about their indoor air quality and the products and services that can be used to keep their IAQ in an acceptable range (typically, between 40-60%).
Related Content: IAQ and You: Indoor Air Quality HVAC Products
With that said, routine maintenance can help homeowners save hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs, costly repairs, and even an untimely death, which can equal thousands of dollars over the lifespan of your HVAC system.
How To Sign Up for a Maintenance Agreement With Fire and Ice
Now that we have gone over the different maintenance plans we offer, the features, benefits, and costs, you may ask yourself, “How do I sign-up?” Well, don’t worry; we got you covered!
The best way to sign up for your HVAC maintenance agreement is to give us a call or schedule an appointment. On the phone or during your scheduled appointment, you can let your technician (or call center representative) know that you would like to enroll in one of the maintenance agreement plans: bronze, silver, or gold.
Then, once your plan is selected, we will confirm and schedule your next maintenance check with you, and that’s it!
Putting It All Together
Overall, by investing in an HVAC maintenance agreement with Fire and Ice, you receive top-of-the-line care, service, and products. Your HVAC system is one of the biggest investments you'll make as a homeowner, so why not treat it like one?
If you’re ready to make the leap for an affordable and reliable heating and cooling maintenance agreement, call or click below to ensure you are in our service area so that we can accommodate all your HVAC needs.
We look forward to serving you!
