Buying a home can be scary and exciting at the same time, that is why as professionals it is important to know just how you as a technician can inform your customers what their HVAC system needs. Everything from preventative maintenance their system may need to the signs of trouble they should know of, an informed homeowner is a smart homeowner. Here are some topics you can touch on when you are meeting with a new homeowner for the first time:

• Show them around their HVAC system: Let them know what system they have may that be heat pumps, mini-split systems, a boiler or central air conditioning along with what type of fuel it uses. This can help them down the road when they have issues as they can properly explain their system to their technician.
  • The age of their system: As most HVAC units start experiencing problems at 10-15 years old you should inform the homeowner of what they should expect from their system.
  • Efficiency rating: Every system comes with a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio), EER (energy efficiency ratio), AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) or HSPF (heating seasonal performance factor) rating. You should review this with the homeowner as their current system may have a low rating which they may want to upgrade in the near future.
  • Maintenance inspection results: See if the homeowners have previous inspection results of their system, this could give you more insight into the performance of their system. If they do not have this, you should suggest that you can perform an inspection for them.
• Check and change their air filters if needed: Their air filters may have been neglected by the previous homeowners. This is a good opportunity to express the importance of changing these filters as it is the easiest way to keep their system running smoothly.
  • Make sure the area around their outdoor unit is clean: The last owner of their home may not have taken as good of care of their landscaping as they should of. Maintaining the landscape will allow proper air flow to their system and allow your system to not have to work as hard.
• Warn them about closing their vents: Most homeowners do not know that closing their vents to save money on their energy bills is actually costing them more. Closing their vents causes your system to work harder to maintain the comfort levels in your home. As a professional, you should recommend not closing the vents and talk them through ways you can create different zones.
• Remind them about annual HVAC maintenance: This is a good opportunity to gain a lifelong client as HVAC units need to be serviced once a year. The tune-up will keep their system in optimal condition and alert them of small problems that could become major repairs. Let the homeowners know that they should schedule maintenance for a year from the appointment for optimal use of their system.