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Improving the Performance of Your HVAC System Over Time

October 12, 2016

HVAC systems are complex, expensive systems to replace. Luckily, homeowners can take steps to get more out of their existing systems. With proper care and maintenance, many homeowners can extend the lives of their systems years beyond the average life expectancy. Here’s what you need to know.

The Average Life of an HVAC System

Central heating and air-conditioning systems should last for years. With typical care and use, most systems will last 15 to 20 years. However, many homeowners can increase that time by several years if they follow industry-recommended maintenance schedules and invest in high-quality products as needed.

Keeping Your HVAC System Maintained

Investing time and money in maintenance tasks can improve your system’s performance, improve energy savings, and extend the life expectancy of your current unit.

Invest in a Yearly Tune-Up

See if your local HVAC service provider offers any deals for customers who maintain an annual tune-up appointment. Your equipment will require regular support over its lifetime (just like a car or a tractor), and a trusted HVAC professional can serve as an invaluable, money-saving resource for maintenance, repairs, and replacement services.

Change the Air Filter

Follow the recommended guidelines for changing the air filter in your unit. Pay attention to the level of dust and debris captured in each filter to determine if you need to change the filter more frequently. Keeping up with air filter changes will improve the overall air quality and prevent dust and other allergens from building up in the air and causing health and operational issues.

Invest in Energy-Efficient Products

If you need to replace any component within your system, look for products with efficiency ratings from EnergyStar, MERV, and other industry guidelines. Choosing high-quality energy-efficient products allows your system to perform at its peak level for longer periods.

Ask for Professional Installations

An improperly installed system or component may cause problems down the road. Always work with an HVAC professional to ensure your system receives the best installation and service over time.

Switch to a Modern Thermostat

programmable or smart thermostat allows users to maintain energy-efficient settings throughout the year. Use programmed settings or remote capabilities to manage your system regardless of your presence at home.

Do Not Block Air Vents

Heating and air-conditioning systems need a balance of incoming and outgoing air. Do not place boxes, wall hangings, or rugs on top of air vents to prevent the accumulation of particles and the risk of mold.

The Right Service Provider for Your HVAC System

In addition to routine maintenance, owners of long-lasting HVAC systems don’t hesitate to contact a trusted heating and air conditioning service provider. You may be able to perform some maintenance and repair tasks yourself, but a professional has the knowledge and equipment to handle significant repairs and replacements. Maintain a strong relationship with an HVAC provider to make the most of every maintenance call and installation.

We would love to help you keep your HVAC system maintained in the long term. Please contact us with any questions or to schedule a service appointment with one of our experienced HVAC technicians.


About The Author

Brody Pennell

Since 1945, Brody Pennell Heating & Air Conditioning is the committed to helping homeowners in the greater Los Angeles area experience total home comfort. In 2021, the readers of the Los Angeles Times voted Brody Pennell the Best HVAC Company in the area.

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Steve L.
1714085783
Tristen and Juancho were efficient and friendly and explained everything clearly.
Debra M.
1714085316
Excellent service by Juan Munoz, Daniel Picard, Brian Diaz, and Juan Sanchez. Very helpful in explaining the HVAC installation process and helping set up new thermostat. Extremely kind and helpful. I recommend Brody Pennel for any HVAC installation or repair.
S O
1714085187
Maria was pleasant and did an excellent job. Explained everything very clearly. Very happy with the service.
Eva B.
1714084317
JuanMolina serviced my ac and heating today He was very polite and helpful,
Tony G.
1714083874
Our regular semi-annual service was performed today and Rene, our technician, did a terrific job, showing care and attention to detail. He's very friendly and informative and made sure we had all our questions answered and were completely satisfied.
Shari M.
1714082673
Marco is the best!!!!
Liza U.
1714081448
Kevin and David E were great4/25/24 Juan C and Gio Q were awesome and helped in everyway. Thanks guys
S M
1714078921
Daniel B & Jose CWe're very polite and courteous and worked very proficiently and efficiently and were able to inform us of the exact problem which was great. I would not hesitate to call on these guys for HV assurance. Thanks Daniel & JoseOn 4/25/2024 Daniel B & Jason S provide our company with best care that we find truly impeccable and would recommend this company and these workers to any other establishment and wouldn't want anyone but the best and these guys are the best in our opinion.
beatles341
1714077166
Jose C. was a great technician to work with. Excellent customer support and service.Ivan D and Kevin L are great guys. They did the maintenance for my property around a month ago. 4/25/24
brett H.
1714076214
My technicians did a great Job ! Steven and Leo.H I would definitely use them again and recommend them.
peter B.
1714076196
Kevin L. and Ivan D. were great and outstanding technicians, efficient, thourough, and wonderful. Please send them back again.
Norman M.
1714074725
Armando and Richie completed a comprehensive inspection and cleaning of my HVAC system. They were thorough and professional, and courteous .I am pleased with their work. Thanks Brody-P.
gloria R.
1714070730
Juan Romo was amazing super knowledgeable and friendly!!!! Amazing service
Helen S.
1714006075
I’ve been with Brody Pennell for many years, and I’m very happy with their service. James Handy is particularly amazing, and I was very fortunate to have him on my most recent maintenance services. He gave me great advice and did a fantastic job.
Denise H.
1714001375
Steven was great!
Kathy N.
1714000925
Juan Romo checked my heater in great detail today and gave me a full report on its welfare. He has suggested the repair of the heat exchanger due to wear and tear . He also pointed out a problem with the circuit board and one small section. He was very thorough, and I understood exactly what he was saying. I commend him highly! Kathy Naylor
Josh E.
1713989240
Juan Molina: thorough, neat, informative & pleasant.
david C.
1713988327
anthony manzo and armando n . great job efficient
Margarita C.
1713984415
Excellent job by Rene Morales 10 stars.
Ana A.
1713981385
Amazing service, very nice attitude, Leo H, Ruben M and Ivan D have extraordinary customer service
David S.
1713979878
Had Jason come by to add surge protector and he did a great job, was professional and efficient.
phuong N.
1713978362
Jose Rivera did a super job. He even added tape to protect the insulation from the elements
Gigi M.
1713920881
Extremely helpful and knowledgeable!David and Juan were very helpful!
Pamela J.
1713918044
Anthony Manzo and Brett Turner gave me great service and excellent recommendations. They made sure I understood everything. Thanks!
Joe L.
1713901725
James H. and David E. Serviced our unit on a bi annual maintenance and did excellent job. I highly recommend this program and James and David to do the work.
Brett H.
1713901322
Kevin and Steven were great
Joshua G.
1713897697
4/23/24 - Daniel B. and Juan De Jesus came out to do maintenance on my system! They were great - on time, professional and knowledgeable!
Marie A.
1713897310
Spencer and Kyle were my technicians and they did a great job. They were thorough and friendly and explained what they were doing as they went along. Overall great experience, wish all service techs operated this way!Update: Ivan and Angel came to do our follow-up service call. Same experience. Friendly, fast, and efficient. I really appreciate the consistency of service with this company
Joseph H.
1713897054
Marco and Ashton are very courteous, friendly, and professional. They are very knowledgeable, and expertly performed their inspection on my heating and air conditioning system. Marco even went above and beyond, and installed a fix for my thermostat on the spot at no charge. I highly recommend Marco, Ashton and the Brody Pennell team!
Jennifer M.
1713896132
The "comfort club" is well worth the annual fee. Our system is checked and cleaned twice annually, and the staff have been superb.
Abeigel B.
1713834446
Outstanding in every way , technically, courtesecy, helpful. Perfect.
Diane S.
1713827710
Great service and Rene was helpful and professional!
Dr. Jack W.
1713824178
Daniel B is an exemplary employee of BP..Truly an excellent Tech whom we appreciated performing our system’s maintenance!!Thank you, Daniel !!
Preston M.
1713821826
After wasting money and time with another company, David M. And Brett T. came out and help me fully understand the issues with my AC unit and provide no nonsense pricing. Highly recommended.
Connie S.
1713815315
Leo H and Tristen were great and thorough
Roy B.
1713811085
Anthony ManzoDaniel Avila
Sandi M.
1713810372
A representative of Broudy Pernell came to my home to assess a new HVAC system & adding AC. It was very informative. He explained the benefits of switching from a furnace based system & to a heat pump system. With all this new information I am deliberating making the change.
Stephen C.
1713807095
Service was good. Responsive. Rene was able to demonstrate where the problem was at. Good listener.
Kelly F.
1713735345
Cesar was excellent and went the extra mile to complete our service as well as talk about future maintenance.
Brian J.
1713724611
Great Company Great service. Nathan C and Jose A were amazing installers and Spencer took great care of us as well. 5 Star Service!
William D.
1713644033
04/19/24 Rene and Brett once again came through and was fast and knowledgeable. Never using anyone else!Bret and Rene were great. Service was amazing and very helpful! Got a heater installed the next day.
Joy C.
1713579080
Great service
Tiffany G.
1713570083
Absolutely wonderful work! Highly recommend requesting: Jose Rivera, Pablo Pluma, and Omar Molina!!! Their expertise really came through the work they did on our AC and heating unit. They fixed issues with a prior installation and talked us through all the changes they were making. They were also polite and super clean. Cannot sing their praises enough!
Steve M.
1713569663
Jose, Pablo and Omar did a fantastic job on the reinstallation of our new HVAC system.
Lars S.
1713568412
James H of Brody Pennell provided professional servicing of my A/C and humidifier. I would recommend him highly.
Kristy B.
1713568341
We had our first ever duct cleaning service today. Enrique D., Danny P., and Gerson were careful to keep a multi hour job as least intrusive as possible, and they used tarps and plastic sheeting to keep our house clean. Enrique also explained the whole process to us before starting the service. We would definitely recommend this team.
Dylan B.
1713566551
Great experience! David M. was the best and will definitely use again!
Abby Y.
1713566503
David M was fantastic! Very transparent, and gave us the real truth and chance of something going wrong, as well as the piece of it does.
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Steve L.
1714085783
Tristen and Juancho were efficient and friendly and explained everything clearly.
Debra M.
1714085316
Excellent service by Juan Munoz, Daniel Picard, Brian Diaz, and Juan Sanchez. Very helpful in explaining the HVAC installation process and helping set up new thermostat. Extremely kind and helpful. I recommend Brody Pennel for any HVAC installation or repair.
S O
1714085187
Maria was pleasant and did an excellent job. Explained everything very clearly. Very happy with the service.
Eva B.
1714084317
JuanMolina serviced my ac and heating today He was very polite and helpful,
Tony G.
1714083874
Our regular semi-annual service was performed today and Rene, our technician, did a terrific job, showing care and attention to detail. He's very friendly and informative and made sure we had all our questions answered and were completely satisfied.
Shari M.
1714082673
Marco is the best!!!!
Liza U.
1714081448
Kevin and David E were great4/25/24 Juan C and Gio Q were awesome and helped in everyway. Thanks guys
S M
1714078921
Daniel B & Jose CWe're very polite and courteous and worked very proficiently and efficiently and were able to inform us of the exact problem which was great. I would not hesitate to call on these guys for HV assurance. Thanks Daniel & JoseOn 4/25/2024 Daniel B & Jason S provide our company with best care that we find truly impeccable and would recommend this company and these workers to any other establishment and wouldn't want anyone but the best and these guys are the best in our opinion.
beatles341
1714077166
Jose C. was a great technician to work with. Excellent customer support and service.Ivan D and Kevin L are great guys. They did the maintenance for my property around a month ago. 4/25/24
brett H.
1714076214
My technicians did a great Job ! Steven and Leo.H I would definitely use them again and recommend them.
peter B.
1714076196
Kevin L. and Ivan D. were great and outstanding technicians, efficient, thourough, and wonderful. Please send them back again.
Norman M.
1714074725
Armando and Richie completed a comprehensive inspection and cleaning of my HVAC system. They were thorough and professional, and courteous .I am pleased with their work. Thanks Brody-P.
gloria R.
1714070730
Juan Romo was amazing super knowledgeable and friendly!!!! Amazing service
Helen S.
1714006075
I’ve been with Brody Pennell for many years, and I’m very happy with their service. James Handy is particularly amazing, and I was very fortunate to have him on my most recent maintenance services. He gave me great advice and did a fantastic job.
Denise H.
1714001375
Steven was great!
Kathy N.
1714000925
Juan Romo checked my heater in great detail today and gave me a full report on its welfare. He has suggested the repair of the heat exchanger due to wear and tear . He also pointed out a problem with the circuit board and one small section. He was very thorough, and I understood exactly what he was saying. I commend him highly! Kathy Naylor
Josh E.
1713989240
Juan Molina: thorough, neat, informative & pleasant.
david C.
1713988327
anthony manzo and armando n . great job efficient
Margarita C.
1713984415
Excellent job by Rene Morales 10 stars.
Ana A.
1713981385
Amazing service, very nice attitude, Leo H, Ruben M and Ivan D have extraordinary customer service
David S.
1713979878
Had Jason come by to add surge protector and he did a great job, was professional and efficient.
phuong N.
1713978362
Jose Rivera did a super job. He even added tape to protect the insulation from the elements
Gigi M.
1713920881
Extremely helpful and knowledgeable!David and Juan were very helpful!
Pamela J.
1713918044
Anthony Manzo and Brett Turner gave me great service and excellent recommendations. They made sure I understood everything. Thanks!
Joe L.
1713901725
James H. and David E. Serviced our unit on a bi annual maintenance and did excellent job. I highly recommend this program and James and David to do the work.
Brett H.
1713901322
Kevin and Steven were great
Joshua G.
1713897697
4/23/24 - Daniel B. and Juan De Jesus came out to do maintenance on my system! They were great - on time, professional and knowledgeable!
Marie A.
1713897310
Spencer and Kyle were my technicians and they did a great job. They were thorough and friendly and explained what they were doing as they went along. Overall great experience, wish all service techs operated this way!Update: Ivan and Angel came to do our follow-up service call. Same experience. Friendly, fast, and efficient. I really appreciate the consistency of service with this company
Joseph H.
1713897054
Marco and Ashton are very courteous, friendly, and professional. They are very knowledgeable, and expertly performed their inspection on my heating and air conditioning system. Marco even went above and beyond, and installed a fix for my thermostat on the spot at no charge. I highly recommend Marco, Ashton and the Brody Pennell team!
Jennifer M.
1713896132
The "comfort club" is well worth the annual fee. Our system is checked and cleaned twice annually, and the staff have been superb.
Abeigel B.
1713834446
Outstanding in every way , technically, courtesecy, helpful. Perfect.
Diane S.
1713827710
Great service and Rene was helpful and professional!
Dr. Jack W.
1713824178
Daniel B is an exemplary employee of BP..Truly an excellent Tech whom we appreciated performing our system’s maintenance!!Thank you, Daniel !!
Preston M.
1713821826
After wasting money and time with another company, David M. And Brett T. came out and help me fully understand the issues with my AC unit and provide no nonsense pricing. Highly recommended.
Connie S.
1713815315
Leo H and Tristen were great and thorough
Roy B.
1713811085
Anthony ManzoDaniel Avila
Sandi M.
1713810372
A representative of Broudy Pernell came to my home to assess a new HVAC system & adding AC. It was very informative. He explained the benefits of switching from a furnace based system & to a heat pump system. With all this new information I am deliberating making the change.
Stephen C.
1713807095
Service was good. Responsive. Rene was able to demonstrate where the problem was at. Good listener.
Kelly F.
1713735345
Cesar was excellent and went the extra mile to complete our service as well as talk about future maintenance.
Brian J.
1713724611
Great Company Great service. Nathan C and Jose A were amazing installers and Spencer took great care of us as well. 5 Star Service!
William D.
1713644033
04/19/24 Rene and Brett once again came through and was fast and knowledgeable. Never using anyone else!Bret and Rene were great. Service was amazing and very helpful! Got a heater installed the next day.
Joy C.
1713579080
Great service
Tiffany G.
1713570083
Absolutely wonderful work! Highly recommend requesting: Jose Rivera, Pablo Pluma, and Omar Molina!!! Their expertise really came through the work they did on our AC and heating unit. They fixed issues with a prior installation and talked us through all the changes they were making. They were also polite and super clean. Cannot sing their praises enough!
Steve M.
1713569663
Jose, Pablo and Omar did a fantastic job on the reinstallation of our new HVAC system.
Lars S.
1713568412
James H of Brody Pennell provided professional servicing of my A/C and humidifier. I would recommend him highly.
Kristy B.
1713568341
We had our first ever duct cleaning service today. Enrique D., Danny P., and Gerson were careful to keep a multi hour job as least intrusive as possible, and they used tarps and plastic sheeting to keep our house clean. Enrique also explained the whole process to us before starting the service. We would definitely recommend this team.
Dylan B.
1713566551
Great experience! David M. was the best and will definitely use again!
Abby Y.
1713566503
David M was fantastic! Very transparent, and gave us the real truth and chance of something going wrong, as well as the piece of it does.
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