HVAC Industry News & Updates

COVID-19 update

March 20, 2020 by Richmond’s Air Editor

Richmond’s Air is conducting AC unit maintenance and checkups!

Due to the nature of our business, and in an effort to help slow down the spread of COVID-19, if anyone in the house is COVID-positive, everyone needs to be out of the house for at least 2 hours before a technician can enter the house and they can take a payment over the phone.

Contact Richmond’s Air for all your emergency HVAC replacement or repair needs.

3 Secrets HVAC Repair Companies Don’t Want You to Know

October 23, 2017 by Richmond’s Air

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are not one-size-fits-all, but many companies may lead you to believe this is true. This can cause homeowners a huge headache and expense, especially during the times of the year when comfort is easily compromised by the weather outside.

How long since your heating unit was last checked?
Don’t get stuck out in the cold!

At Richmond’s Air, we’ve been doing heating and furnace repairs right since 2002. Our work is 100% guaranteed by a 1-year parts and labor warranty on repairs.

Houston Heating & Repair Service

Here are three secrets your HVAC company may not want you to know:

1. Keep size in mind

The size of your home should directly correlate with the size of the HVAC unit you buy. A unit that’s too large will not only be more expensive, but its cooling and heating pace may be too rapid for smaller homes. This can quickly cause issues like higher energy usage and more repairs.

The takeaway: Make sure your HVAC company measures your home accurately.

2. Second opinions are a smart idea

If your HVAC technician tells you that one or more parts of your HVAC unit need to be replaced, you don’t have to take their word for it right away. In fact, it may pay off to seek a second opinion when it comes to dropping some serious cash on replacement parts that may or may not be needed.

The takeaway: Go with your gut, do your research, and never feel pressured to accept repairs or maintenance immediately.

3. Free HVAC services are rarely worth it

If you see advertisements offering free HVAC service deals, don’t simply jump at the chance. It’s still important to research various HVAC companies before deciding which is best for you and your needs. Read online reviews or ask friends and family which companies they’ve had success with in the past.

The takeaway: Even if the offer isn’t free, it may be worth it in the end to go with a company you can trust.

Bonus tip!

Always make sure that any repairs or maintenance done to your HVAC is put in writing or you’re given a receipt that clearly shows you all charges and procedures.

Richmond’s Air continues to provide the Houston area with reliable, trustworthy HVAC services. Give our experienced HVAC contractors a call to schedule a professional visit.

We also invite you to check out our blog to learn more about saving energy and actively maintaining your HVAC system.

13 Ways People Stayed Cool Before Air Conditioning

August 22, 2016 by Richmond’s Air

Air conditioners didn’t enter homes until H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman invented the window AC unit in 1931. These air conditioners are still commonly used today; however, back then very few people could afford the luxury of an individual room air conditioner.

Fortunately, they found plenty of other ways to stay cool. Here’s a list of 13 ways people stayed cool before AC:

Underground Living. Whether it was cave dwellings or sod roofing, underground living allowed tenants to stay cool during the hot summer months.
Shade Trees. Shade trees offered an easy escape from summer heat, with temperatures dropping 15 degrees or more in the shade.
Afternoon Naps. It turns out, there’s a real practical side to napping during the hottest part of the day. Before central air, workers would take afternoon naps in order to avoid heat exhaustion.
Fans. Handheld fans have been a form of air conditioning for centuries.
Imported Snow. Snow is year round on some mountain peaks. In some areas of the world, mountain snow would be collected and taken back into town to be sold.
Harvested Ice Blocks. Before AC, winter was a time to harvest ice blocks from frozen lakes. These ice blocks would then be kept in icehouses and later used in the summer months.
Fountains. Early fountains resembled large troughs and were big enough to submerge your head. In the summertime, these fountains were used for drinking and cooling off.
High Ceilings. Because heat rises, smart architects used high ceilings as an early form of maintaining low temperatures at floor level.
Open Windows at Night. The night is usually cool, so why not take advantage of this natural A/C? During summer, windows were left open at night to encourage cool evening air to enter the home.
Front Porches. Porches allowed people to enjoy the cool mornings and evenings from the comfort of their home.
Mud & Brick. Brick is still a great option for lowering energy costs because bricks absorb heat during the day and release it at night.
Movie Theaters. Before AC was in every home, movie theaters offered one of the only cool places a person could retreat to during the summer.
Creative Cooling. There are many other creative ways people stayed cool in the summer, from wet sheets in open doorways to putting clothes in the freezer!

These are great ways to stay cool, but don’t be stuck in the age before AC. In hot places like Houston, TX, air conditioning is a must. Richmond’s Air is a leading HVAC contractor in Houston. Call today to get your AC up and running.

For more historical reading, check out: The History of Air Conditioning and How it Changed America Forever.

The Next AC Innovation: 3D Printed Cooling Bricks

March 12, 2015 by James Richmond

Here at Richmond’s Air, we like to keep you up to speed with the latest advancements in air conditioning. In the past, we’ve posted about several exciting HVAC innovations, including sending a building’s heat off into space and an air conditioner made more efficient by sidestepping the traditional condenser unit.

Well, here’s yet another exciting AC innovation: 3D cooling bricks. These Cool Bricks, developed by make-tank Emerging Objects, uses the concept of passive evaporative cooling to provide a more efficient way to cool homes.

Here’s the basic idea:

1. A builder uses a 3D printer to make a cooling brick. These bricks, which are made of ceramic, look somewhat like a honeycomb.

1. A builder could then connect many of these blocks to make an interior wall of a building.

1. Once in place, the bricks are moistened with water; their ceramic nature and honeycomb shape make them act like a sponge, able to absorb water.

As hot, dry air in the surrounding environment passes through the honeycomb, it picks up the cooler, more humid air and distributes it in throughout the home.

Of course, you might have caught on that the surrounding environment needs to be fairly hot and dry to see the best effects from the Cool Brick. The brick would likely work great in desert environments where residents struggle to keep their homes both cool and humid. Since air conditioners, by design, dehumidify the air while they cool it, some desert residents have to run a humidifier along with their AC.

If you take a trip over to West Texas or Arizona in the future, perhaps one day you’ll witness this innovative idea in use. But needless to say, you’ll never see a Cool Brick in Houston, where the summers are already sticky and humid enough. For us, the good ol’ air conditioner is still an extraordinary and wonderful piece of technology.

Contact one of our experienced HVAC technicians at Richmond’s Air today if your AC system is in need of an upgrade, maintenance or repairs.

Reno’s Ronald McDonald House Receives the Gift of Heat and Air!

December 15, 2014 by James Richmond

It is not often that you hear about someone receiving the gift of heat and air during the holidays. Many of us take it for granted but there are some places in desperate need. In Reno, Nevada, three companies united to help assist the local Ronald McDonald House. This well-known facility serves as a home away from home for families with children in the local hospitals.

Carrier Corporation, Siglar Wholesale Distributors and Sierra Air were the three companies that jointly combined resources to help save the Ronald McDonald House $23,209 on equipment, materials and labor.

Ron Ford, President of Sierra Air, stated that “The Ronald McDonald House was looking for ways to use donor dollars more efficiently while providing a calm environment for their guests and we were in a position to help. It seemed the right thing to do for our community.”

Mary Ozer, the Director of the Reno Ronald McDonald House was beyond grateful. She said that it meant so much that three different companies believed in their mission of helping out families in a very devastating time. She is thrilled that money they would have used for the heating and air systems can now be used in other ways to assist these families.

Perhaps you know someone or company in the Houston area that could use a similar gift even on a much smaller level and are in a position to help. Richmond’s’ Air offers West University Place, Bunker Hill Village and other communities in the metro-Houston area with quality service at very competitive prices.