We know East Cobb Lifestyle readers need tips on how to keep the house nice and cool this summer, even in the sweltering South. Furthermore, just how often is best for servicing the HVAC system? Shannon Bartlett, president of Bartlett Heating & Cooling, gives us her hot take.
What are ways homeowners can keep their homes cool?
Remember that most systems cannot cool more than 20 degrees cooler than outside. Also keep in mind that heat rises, so oftentimes it is harder to keep the upstairs as cool as you might like. Keep your shades closed on the windows that allow in direct sunlight. Don’t turn your AC off during the day or set it too high, as it will have trouble cooling the home down. As a rule of thumb, in the peak heat of the day, it takes as much as one hour to lower the temperature one degree. If your home tends to get warmer than you would like, you can try “pre-cooling” the home. This means setting the thermostat to a lower temperature than you might normally in order to get ahead of the heat.
How should readers prepare for the summer months?
During the summer months, your AC is going to run A LOT! That is why it is important to have maintenance done annually. One misconception is that you must get the maintenance done on your system before the weather gets hot, but what really is important is getting into a regular maintenance cycle. Much like an oil change on your car, it doesn’t matter if you get the oil changed before the big road trip, after the road trip or somewhere in between.
In Atlanta, our cooling season is quite long, running from March through October and oftentimes even past then. What we recommend is to have the maintenance done on your HVAC system twice a year, spaced about every six months. It is also a good idea to have a relationship established with a company. During extreme heat, companies are swamped with calls. At Bartlett, we always take care of our Family Maintenance Plan customers first. These are our loyal customers that have us out twice a year for maintenance, so we prioritize these customers when there’s a heat wave.
What is Bartlett’s backstory?
Bartlett Heating & Cooling was started in the late 1970s. Like many companies, it started as a “one man show,” growing over the years as the Atlanta area grew. Our original office was in Buckhead, and we built our business on new construction. We migrated to Smyrna in the 1980s and now have our office in Marietta. We currently provide service to residential homes, and we only service Cobb County and a small section of Northwest Fulton County. By having a more confined service area, we are able to provide better and more timely service to our customers. Now, 40+ years since we started, we are still a locally family-owned and operated heating and cooling company. We still believe in offering the good, old-fashioned service that is often lost in today's fast paced life.
To learn more, visit CallBartlett.com.