My new MacDaddy 20-SEER Trane! I can sleep better tonight knowing that my leaky 8 SEER is no longer destroying the planet. I am one happy camper.

Thanks to all of the guys at B&E for an awesome and extremely professional job. I’m pretty sure the whole company stopped by my house today!

Are you ready to have high efficiency heating and cooling in your home? Call us, or click here to get a free quote today.

• Free Service Call with ANY repair over $200
• Must Be the Homeowners
• Home or Repair Location Must be in Mint Hill.
• Must be Presented Before or During the time of the Service Call.
• $89 Value!
• Coupon must be presented

In true Johnny Carson style… Drumroll please.

10. The last time you replaced your home ac unit, Republicans controlled both the Senate and the House of Representatives!

9. The San Francisco 49ers defeat the San Diego Chargers 49 to 26 in Super Bowl XXIX.

8. NASCAR racing driver Sterling Marlin wins the 1995 Daytona 500.

7. The movie “Forest Gump” wins the Oscar for best picture at the Academy Awards. Actor Tom Hanks takes home the Oscar for best actor.

6. The Nasdaq Composite Index closes above 1000 for the first time.

5. The Microsoft corporation releases Windows 95.

4. O.J. Simpson is found not guilty in the murder trial of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.

3. Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson confirm rumors that they had been married a few weeks before.

2. Paula Jones accuses President Bill Clinton of sexual harassment

… and the Number 1 Reason You know its Time to Replace your Air Conditioner…

1. The Carolina Panthers came to town.

If you can remember the events above better or easier than you can remember when you last replaced your home central ac system, its time to have us come out, take a look at your air conditioner and tell you how much you can save with a new ac unit!

Why not… Estimates are Always Free at B&E!

Call us at 704.333.0363 or Schedule a Free Estimate today!

We realize that our customers don’t really need heating or cooling at this time of year, so the service department at B&E Air Conditioning and Heating goes into maintenance mode for several weeks.  During the months of March-April, we use almost all of our company resources to make sure our customers have their annual spring air conditioner or cooling system maintenance completed.

Learn more about preventative maintenance plans, annual tune ups or call us at 704.333.0363 and ask to speak to Lisa to schedule your annual maintenance today!

Cooling System Tuneup – Why You Need it & What to Expect

I bet you didn’t know you were over paying your light company that much did you? As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home’s HVAC system can have a big effect on your utility bills, and your comfort.

You wouldn’t drive your car 100,000 miles without changing the oil. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. The same logic holds true for your home comfort system. Regular preventative maintenance is the best way to ensure trouble-free operation and peak performance.

Opposite of the fall furnace checkups, in the springtime we like to focus our attention on the entire cooling system of your home. The service technician who comes to your home needs about an hour to clean and test the central ac or cooling mode of the heat pump system.

When we saw the latest round of $39 discounts, it didn’t take long for us to realize that we needed to go farther in 2011… so we did!

Instead of simply reducing the cost… we decided to make it free!

Free Service and Repair Call for Second Opinion

Has another Charlotte HVAC company just left your home after a service or repair call, and they also left an estimate of $700 to repair your system? If so, give us a call at 704.333.0363 today, we’ll come out and check it for free!

Free HVAC Service Call Terms and Conditions

• You Must have a Copy of the Competitors Estimate
• Competitor Repair or Replacement Estimate Must be Less Than 7 Days Old
• Available During Normal Business Hours Only
• When you Contact Us to Set an Appointment, Mention Free Second Opinion!
• Make Sure you are Within the B&E Service Area

Call Today: 704-333-0363

Contact Us Now for a Free Second Opinion

B&E has a programmable thermostat that will automatically change from heat to cool within 2 degrees! To you, that means you no longer have to worry about coming from work in the afternoon to be reminded you left the heat on! The thermostat will take care of maintaining the right temp, all the time!

Gas Furnace & Heating System Tune Up Season!

Fall also means that it’s time for the furnace or heating system in your home to have a good fall cleaning!  While there are some basic things you can easily do yourself, like change the HVAC filter each month and changing batteries in the CO detector, there are many parts of the heating system that need to be looked at by a Pro! That’s where the Service Department at B&E comes to your rescue!

Heating System Peak Performance

Before you turn on the furnace call us to have a heating check up or better yet, look into one of our PPSA plans. (Peak Performance Service Agreement) An annual maintenance plan will keep your heating and cooling system operating at its Factory Peak settings all year round.  This will help keep your utility bills lower and your home safe and comfortable.

PPSA Customers Enjoy the Following Benefits:

• 2 to 4 Annual Maintenance Visits (Depends  on system)
• Reduced Energy Costs
• Heating and Cooling System last Longer before Needing Replacement
• Manufacturers Warranty Never Questioned due to lack of Maintenance
• Priority Dispatch if the System Needs Repair Service

What Can You Do Today?

Waiting until you need heat is not the way to test your heating system! Now, when the temps are still mild is the time to test the heating system yourself.

Turn on the system for 10 minutes and check to see if the supply vents are blowing warm air. You will probably smell the dust burning off the heat exchanger if you have a gas furnace. If you have a CO detector that shows the PPM reading, check it during this time! By all means, if it goes off, immediately turn off the furnace, open several doors and windows to vent the home and call us!

Call Lisa a t B&E for your heating check up. Lisa can email you a check list of our service we perform or get you on our dispatch board for the fall heating check.

Now is the time to Call B&E for your Fall Heating System Checkup!
Click Today or Call Us 704-333-0363

Over the next 12-16 weeks we call summer, we will see many serious thunderstorms roll through the city and like every other year, we will be flooded with calls from concerned homeowners when their home AC system stops working after a storm passes their home! In some cases, the AC doesn’t work, but the fan runs non-stop, regardless of what you do, recirculating the warm air into your home.!

In this article, we wanted to cover a few safety precautions you can take, as well as a few quick things to check before you call us for AC Repair. While there is no way we can cover every component or equipment check our technicians will need to do after a lightning strike, it’s a good DIY starting point.

What To Do If You Think Lightning Hit Your Air Conditioner or Heat Pump

1 – Document the Event!

The first thing we suggest you do, is document the storm and all possible damage for insurance purposes. You will want to get a note paper and write down the date and time of the possible lightning strike, as well as your recollection of what happened. If you have a small video camera, like a flip camera, that can come in handy as well.

While this may sound trivial, it can be important for insurance adjusters to have when they review your claim. Remember, the burden of proof is yours.

2 – Check Your Thermostat

Go to your thermostat in the hall or whatever room it’s in. If it is an electric thermostat, make sure the light is lit and the thermostat has power. Turn it on, and set the temperature to trigger the fan unit to come on.

• If the thermostat does not work, check your breaker.
• If its a battery operated thermostat, replace the battery.
• If all power issues have been checked and the thermostat still won’t work, call us.

3 – Check the Fan Unit

In split system cooling, you have an indoor fan and an outdoor condenser. After you made sure the thermostat works and is telling the ac system to start, you should hear the fan and/or outdoor condenser start up almost simultaneously. If the fan unit does not start:

• Check the circuit breaker.
• If you reset the breaker and it trips back off as soon as the system tries to start, call us.
• If the power is on but the unit wont start up, it may be related to the outdoor unit.

4 – Check the Outdoor Condenser

In almost all cases, your outdoor condenser, whether air conditioner or heat pump, is likely to have 2 circuit breakers within a few feet of the unit. Follow the large gray colored electric whip to the panel and check the breakers inside.

• If the breakers are in the On position, reset them by switching off, then back on.
• If one or both immediately trip back off, call us immediately.

Other Considerations

Most Insurance companies will not pay for the entire system to be replaced, and want to focus on only the parts that failed. The main issue with this, is that 6 months down the road you could have another failure like a motor or compressor that was damaged during the storm months before, and the Insurance company will not pay twice.

While there is no way to fully test for these types of future breakdowns, when we repair an air conditioner or heat pump repair after a lightning strike, we run it through full load tests for long periods of time, thus minimizing the risk of failure due to the lightning.

Did Lightning Strike Near Your Air Conditioner?

Call Us Today for a Full System Inspection and Repair

Over almost 30 years of crawling and climbing, we have picked up a few tips along the way that will not only help you prepare for the summer cooling season, but also help us do our job, should your air conditioner break, and we get the pleasure of climbing inside!

HVAC Located in Attics

Having your home HVAC system in the attic is actually very common in Charlotte. Most of the time, you will have a pull down set of stairs (at least we hope you do) that gives us some kind of access to your home attic.

Try Not to Stack boxes Around Your HVAC System!

If the Service Technician needs to spend an hour rearranging your attic just to find the hvac system, they may never get there! Attics can reach more than 150 degrees in the summer months and it’s not uncommon for a technician to work in 5-10 minute increments, to avoid overheating!

Expect Us to Arrive Early!

If we are going to replace or repair your air conditioner, you can expect us to be at your home by 7:30am if the unit is in your attic! If we wait until 10, it might just be too hot to get started!

Consider Having Us Install an Attic Fan!

We can be in and out in just a few hours, and your attic, shingles and service technician will thank you forever!

HVAC in The Crawl Space

Just as common as the attic, many Charlotte residents have HVAC units installed in their crawl space! Aside from the bugs, snakes and critters we commonly encounter in crawl spaces, it’s very important to remember the following:

Keep Your Crawlspace Clean of Debris!

We can usually tell how long it’s been since your last service, by the number of things stacked between the inside of the crawl space door, and the hvac unit!

If You Seal or Insulate The CrawlSpace – Leave it To a Pro!

There is much more to increasing the efficiency of your crawl space than simply spreading plastic and closing the vents! We are happy to share these stories with you any time… but think “Swimming Pool” and you get the picture!

Schedule Your Spring AC Service Now

Like we mentioned earlier this month, it’s the perfect time to have your annual air conditioner service done to prepare for the long summer!

Clear away the path in the attic, open the crawl space door, and call us out now! Don’t wait until it breaks down!

Spring may not be when most of us start thinking about air conditioning, but now is most definitely the right time to call us for your air conditioning system’s annual spring checkup! Many of our customers have added their AC tune-up directly to their spring cleaning list, to make sure the whole home is prepared for the arrival of summer.

Spring Cooling System Check Up!

You home cooling system has a number of components that we inspect as a part of your spring air conditioner checkup. While some of the standard cleaning items can be done on your own, much of the air conditioner check up is  a job best left to the professionals, no matter how handy you may be elsewhere around the home. Central air conditioning units are complex pieces of equipment.

Call 704-333-0363 or email Lisa to have your AC Service scheduled today!

Visual Inspection

One of the first things we do, is an overall visual inspection of your entire HVAC system! We look for the warnings signs that signal there may be something wrong with the HVAC system. This may include:

• Rust or Corrosion
• Standing Water in Drain Pans
• Water or Moisture Stains on Equipment
• Scorching or Signs of Overheating
• Hanging or Improperly Sealed Duct
• Much more…

Electrical Systems and Components

After our visual inspection, we test the electronic control systems of your air conditioner, testing the capacitors, switches, circuit boards and relays, for proper operation. This also includes a thorough inspection of all electrical and thermostat wiring on the system, to be sure there are no broken or chaffed wires and all connections are tight and ready for the long cooling season.

Cooling Components Checkup

Next on the spring AC checklist are your evaporator coil and condensate drain line. The coil is a key part of your home air conditioning system and if it’s not clean and working properly, your AC is not going to work, or at best, work with lower efficiency! The condensate drain line carries water condensation away from the evaporator coil, and if this becomes clogged or improperly connected to the rest of the drain system, your AC system can become flooded and you could have a very bad mess on your hands!

Operation and Functionality

Once we are satisfied that the electrical and component systems are in operating condition, we start your AC system and check for proper operation. We check your air conditioning unit’s coolant levels, compressor start and run system, as well as all safety and control systems on the running unit. While the unit is running, we will also check the disconnect switch to make sure that it is in good working order, as this is a vital part of safety for your AC system.

Schedule your Spring AC Tune Up Today!

Call 704-333-0363 or email Lisa to have your AC Service scheduled today!

7 Ways to Save on Heating Costs

Always Keep Doors and Windows Closed!

Our fathers all used to ask the same question… Did you grow up in a barn? Keeping exterior doors closed all the time can save a considerable amount of your heat!

As far as windows… just because they appear closed, walk up and make sure both the Top and Bottom are firmly closed to the sash! Many time, the top window can slide down just a half-inch, and let a lot of your heat out the gap!

Install a Programmable Thermostat

Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to automatically program small temperature  swings, based on when you are home, awake, and need the heat! Reducing the inside temp just 5 degrees during the day when nobody is home can save a considerable amount on your heating bill!

Contact us today and we will gladly provide an estimate to install a programmable thermostat.

Replace Your Filters Every 30 Days

A heating system struggling to get air – well, it has to work harder! Working harder means less efficient!

Change your filters often!

Cover Drafty Windows with Plastic Window Kits in Winter

Run over to Lowe’s or Home Depot and pick up one of the Window Plastic kits! They install in 5 minutes per window, heat the edges with a blow dryer, and you have instantly sealed your windows for the winter!

Use Bathroom Ceiling Fans Sparingly!

The vent fan in your bathroom is nothing but a pump! If you leave it running when nobody is in the bathroom, you are simply pumping the warm air out of your home! Turn off your vent fans when the shower is not running!

Have a Heating System Tune Up Every Year

We cannot stress enough, the importance of keeping your heating system properly tuned with an annual heating system tune up!

An improperly running gas furnace or heat pump can run 30-40% longer than it needs to, wasting a lot of energy for no reason!

If your System Is Older – Replace It with a High Efficiency Unit

A gas furnace that’s just 15 years old is far less efficient than one made today! When you combine the Savings with a New Furnace to the Stimulus Tax Credits for HVAC, it just makes sense to install a new Trane or Carrier Gas Furnace or high efficiency Heat Pump System this year! Call us, or request a Free HVAC Quote today!

What Money Saving Tips do You Have?