Just days away from the official start of winter, a storm system has officially landed on the Central Coast and more rain is expected throughout most of the week.
Employees of Wighton's Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning say a sizeable number of people in the area are in search of HVAC repairs as they begin to prepare for the conditions this upcoming season.
Caitlin White, a dispatcher at Wighton’s, says that HVAC repairs are prioritized on a case-by-case basis.
“We do receive a much higher call volume when the weather drops like this, especially during the rainy season," said White. "People are wanting to get it scheduled right away, and unfortunately we’d love to be there right away for every single one of our customers but it’s about prioritization."
Officials with Wighton's say they recently received calls from those searching for HVAC repairs in north San Luis Obispo County and the City of Santa Barbara.
“I’ve particularly seen an increase in HVAC installations particularly in the Atascadero and Paso Robles area, where it especially gets cold during this season, and also we’ve been seeing a high influx of calls I’ve seen in Santa Barbara in the past couple weeks,” said Stephanie Doran, Wighton’s installation coordinator.
“Definitely more Santa Barabara calls,” said White. “I’ve noticed that, too!”
Experts say that you should have your HVAC system checked twice a year. Typically, before the summer and winter seasons.
Nate Medina, Wighton’s general manager, says the lack of proper maintenance on your HVAC system may lead to serious consequences.
“If they’re not routinely being maintained, we see catastrophic things can happen at any time any place within the system,” said Medina. “But proper upkeep. If it doesn’t go well, technically one part can take out the next part and it’s a downward spiral.”
Medina says last year's winter storms caused their company to face delays in service repairs due to road closures.
But as San Luis Obispo County officials continue to inform the public on emergency winter preparedness, he feels that many are doing their part to prepare for what lies ahead.
“During last year's storms, we were definitely faced with delays because of road closures,” said Medina. “We weren’t able to get to customers the same day because of that but I think the community has done a little bit better this year to prepare.”
Medina says a complete replacement for an HVAC system could cost anywhere between $2,000 to $7,000.
