AC Maintenance and Tune-ups

Service Technician using the Stargate Diagnostic tool to perform an Advanced AC Tune-up.

Advantage Home Performance participates in the APS Advanced AC Tune-up program.   According to APS, the Advanced AC Tune-up is a more “precise” and “reliable” way to make your air conditioner operate at peak efficiency.   Homeowners can improve the efficiency of their air conditioning systems up to ten to twelve percent.    To encourage ratepayers to have an Advanced AC Tune-up performed on their air conditioning systems; APS offers a $100 rebate per system when a participating contractor performs the tune-up with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

A conservative estimate is that one out of every two air conditioning systems suffers from an improper refrigerant charge and low air flow over the indoor coil.   What is important to know is that these two conditions cause your air conditioning system to waste electricity.    The APS web site states, “a recent study found that more than 55% of existing AC units had refrigerant that was under or overcharged, enough to reduce its operating efficiency, and that costs you money.”    These persistent problems with refrigerant charge are in part due to the antiquated way most heating and air conditioning technicians test air conditioners.

What makes the Advanced APS Tune-up a better value than a basic AC tune-up is that APS approved contractors are required to use Stargate, a state-of-the-art piece of diagnostic equipment to evaluate the air conditioning system.    The Stargate analyzer permits heating and air conditioning technicians to digitally check the air conditioner’s refrigerant charge and air flow.   Remote transmitters send real time data to the Stargate receiver which analyzes an air conditioning system’s performance ten times per second.     The Stargate system permits the technician to utilize twenty-first century technology to charge the air conditioning system correctly every time.    The potential energy savings on your cooling load with an Advanced AC Tune-up is 10%, if you make the recommended corrections and you’ll likely increase the life of your equipment.

There are several basic program requirements.    To participate in the program your air conditioning system must be at least three years old, between two and five ton capacity and outdoor temperatures must be above 75 degrees.   If you go to the APS website you will find a list of APS approved contractors in the quad city area.    To be eligible for the $100 dollar rebate your air conditioning system does need to pass the Stargate test for proper refrigerant charge.    In some cases, this may require the APS approved contractor to add some refrigerant or make some other basic repairs.

At Advantage Home Performance we are proud to participate in this program because it is a better value for home owners.    For more information on the Advanced AC Tune-up simply do a search on the terms “APS Advanced AC Tune-up.”    You will see a comparison of a basic tune-up compared to the Advanced AC Tune-up.