With warmer and sunnier days finally upon us, spring is a great season to complete home improvement projects.
Whether it’s servicing an old furnace, installing air conditioning, or putting solar panels on your roof, the experts at Barron — a local leader in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) work for over 50 years — can make your plans a reality.
“Spring’s a great time to reset and get out in front of any potential issues,” says Barron Director of Service Blake Trafton. “For that peace of mind, it’s a perfect time to make sure the vital systems in your home are operating at the highest level of efficiency, or to start planning to change to something even more efficient.”
Spring is also an ideal time to visit with Barron experts at local home shows. In addition to participating in the annual Skagit/Island Counties Builders Association Home & Garden Show each March, Barron will be set up April 28 through 30 at the Whatcom County Home & Garden Show, held each year at Lynden’s Northwest Washington Fairgrounds.
Air Conditioning
As temperatures climb, many people naturally begin to think about cooling their homes, either with traditional air conditioning or through electric heat pumps that also offer AC.
Barron Chief Operating Officer Merrill Bevan says each spring the company supports two types of people: those planning for the hot summer days now, and those responding to them once they happen. “While we do our best to support everyone, the planners often walk into summer with much less stress!”
Lead times for AC installation tend to increase substantially by June, meaning those who wait to request service may have a hard time getting cool while it’s still hot. Last year, Bevan says, increased demand due to hotter summers and supply chain issues combined and led to waiting periods measured in months, something unheard of just a few years ago
While that’s not expected this year, scheduling work as early as possible is the best way to ensure you’ll be comfortable when the mercury spikes. Rob Takemura, Barron’s director of operations, says current lead times from call to install are measured in weeks, “so it’s a great time! To plan.”
And the heat can be just as challenging for Barron employees as it is for homeowners.
“Up in those crawl spaces or attics, it could be 130 degrees,” Takemura says. “We try to talk to the customer and start as early as possible in the morning.”
Barron’s home show special, valid through April 30, is $1,000 off the installation of an air conditioner or heat pump unit. A full system upgrade Preseason AC special is also being offered: up to $4,000 in savings with qualifying rebates, incentives, and a Silver Shield Membership.
Air Ducts
After months of having your home buttoned up to stay warm and dry, dust and allergen levels may be high. That’s why duct cleaning and sealing is also a popular spring activity.
Barron technicians provide traditional air duct cleaning and also offer Aeroseal® services to seal ducting and provide energy savings that might be escaping through holes and loose fittings. Takemura had his own home sealed with Aeroseal and saw a profound increase in energy efficiency.
“It took an opening the size of a screen door — that’s how much air I was losing in my system — and got it down to a 2-by-2-inch amount of air loss,” he says.
Some homeowners may also wish to go with ductless HVAC systems, to cool or heat specific areas of their home as efficiently as possible.
Barron home show specials include $500 off duct cleaning and Aeroseal® when ordered together, $300 off Aeroseal separately, or $100 off a duct cleaning.
Solar and More
Sunny days get many people thinking about solar power, and with new tax credits available, now is a great time to consider it for your home.
While solar can represent a significant upfront investment, Barron also offers low interest, energy smart financing to that can bring the monthly investment down to something comparable to most customers current utility bills. Paired with energy smart heat pumps and heat pump water heaters, Barron has even seen some customers have lower monthly payments for their solar investment than their prior utility bills. In other words, it paid for itself!. These rates can even be slightly lower, Takemura says, than current interest rates for lending from a bank.
Even if you’re unsure about making the jump, it’s easy to have a Barron technician provide a thorough evaluation on whether your home is right for solar.
While some homeowners opt for battery backups and generators as part of their solar systems, others opt for traditional power generators and battery backup systems. This means that when a storm knocks out power, their generators recharge batteries that keep lights on.
Barron Solar home show specials include saving up to $4,500 on a combined solar system (array, battery backup, and generator), as well as savings of $1,000 to $2,500 on individual or other combinations of these systems — plus a 30% tax credit!
Maintenance
Of course, you don’t have to go wild with new installs to save money or improve the comfort of your home.
Trafton points out that while many people wait until fall for furnace maintenance, now can also be a great time to take care of it. After months of a heavy winter workload, spring checkups can ensure your furnace motors, fans, and other parts are in the best shape possible. It’s like taking your car in for an oil change after a 5,000 mile, around the country trip and Barron we’ll check your air filters, too!
Both preventative and performance maintenance, adds Bevan, is especially important if your equipment is reaching middle age. Even if you don’t know the age of your furnace, Barron technicians can help you figure it out.
Another common springtime maintenance involves plumbing. Specifically, checking outside hose bibbs before you start gardening or watering your lawn.
“It’s amazing how often there have been issues plumbing challenges that happened over the winter but only begin to surface as garden and lawn gets going outside,” Bevan says. “Getting a plumbing inspection before you start pulling out your garden hoses is a great habit to get into each year.”
Silver Shield Memberships
This is also a great time of year to consider something that can provide both peace of mind and cost savings: Silver Shield Memberships.
The memberships, which start at $20 a month, provide discounts on equipment replacement and maintenance, as well as priority service. The latter includes no overtime rates and a spot at the head of the emergency service line, anytime you need it. Barron will also communicate with you proactively about maintenance during its spring and fall “shoulder” seasons — when heating and cooling equipment is being used less.
A $100 kickoff maintenance special is being offered for those who stop by the Whatcom home show (This is an in-booth special just for show goers – be sure to head to the show!). This provides maintenance for the equipment of your choice — at just $100 — when you purchase a monthly Silver Shield Membership.
Regardless of your needs this season, it’s an ideal time to team with Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing for your home comfort needs.
“Now is definitely the time to get in line,” says Takemura. “Even if you get someone out to your house to do that evaluation now, you can schedule for later on in May.”
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