AC Annual Maintenance Contract vs Home Warranty
You’ve just purchased an HVAC system for your home and the contractor asks if you are interested in signing up for an annual AC maintenance contract. You already have a home warranty or perhaps you have been considering getting a home warranty to protect all of the appliances, plumbing and electrical system in your home. Is it also a wise investment to pay for the yearly maintenance contract or is a home warranty enough protection for your HVAC system?
Benefits of a home warranty. These plans are available for a monthly fee and provide coverage for repair or replacement of most appliances in the home, along with specified plumbing and electrical issues. There usually is no previous inspection of the appliances to qualify for a home warranty, although coverage may be denied if a problem obviously pre-existed the purchase of the warranty. There is a policy deductible to pay for every repair call; beyond that, covered repairs are covered. The main benefit is being able to offer protection against the breakdown of a number of different appliances and systems in your home with a single plan. Home warranties do typically include the heating and cooling systems in the home.
Benefits of an annual maintenance plan. All of the advantages of purchasing an annual maintenance plan are focused on the HVAC system. Annual maintenance contracts usually include twice-yearly inspections that include a thorough cleaning of the system. In the event the system breaks down, many maintenance plan offer priority service to customers, often guaranteeing a technician will be out the same day as a call is received. Many annual maintenance plans also offer discounts on parts and service in the event of a required repair.
Maintenance is key. There are excellent benefits from both an annual maintenance contract for your HVAC system and a home warranty for everything in the house, including the HVAC system. However, many experts say regular maintenance is even more important than a repair or replacement plan because maintenance can extend the life of your HVAC system. That means the annual contract can reduce the number of repairs that are necessary . Another benefit of the maintenance plan is that the technician becomes an expert on your HVAC system. When you need a repair under a home warranty, there is no way to ensure what company will be given that claim. When the same company and technician takes care of your system, there is a continuity of service that is in your best interest.