Pioneer Comfort President and founder Gordy Noe and General Manager Mike Conley accepted the National Residential HVAC Contractor of the Year award this month at the Contractor Leadership LIVE event in Cleveland, OH.

The award is presented to the company that represents the best that the residential HVAC industry has to offer and best embraces innovative ways to better understand and serve customers.

Since founding the company in 1981, Noe has continued to run the company with the same mindset: the customer always comes first.

“It’s our policy that we take care of the customer’s needs no matter what it takes, and money is secondary. If we do the first one, we’ll make the second one,” Noe says.

This is not the first time Noe and the company have been recognized for excellence. Noe was awarded the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association (PHCC) Contractor of the Year award in 2013. The award is presented to the HVACR contractor who best represents the ideals of the profession. Nominees are judged on professionalism, merchandising and management skills, innovative techniques, trade involvement and community service.

Pioneer Comfort continues to be the HVAC company Knoxville residents trust. After more than 30 years in business, Noe is still looking towards the future.

“I can’t wait to get up and go to work every day. I expect I’ll probably keep doing that for the next 10 years, I hope. I’m 60 now and I hope I’ve got another 10 years in me.”

Summer is all about having fun in the sun, but when the sun gets too hot we usually retreat into the air conditioned comfort of our homes. Despite how nice it feels to step into that cool oasis, keeping your home that cold all the time could be putting too much stress on your HVAC system.

Efficient HVAC systems require inspections twice every year, but even then problems can arise. In fact, your air conditioning unit is particularly prone to problems if you run it into the ground. To save you and your AC, here are a few clever ways you can stay cool.

Keep the Curtains Shut

This may seem like a no-brainer, but that’s because it is. Light, especially light from the sun, creates heat, which in turn warms your house right up. Unfortunately, it can also increase your air conditioning needs. As air heats up, your AC has to work harder to bring the temperature back down to a comfortable place. So keep those blinds and curtains closed!

Change Your Sheets

If you find yourself cranking the AC at night, the issue might be simpler than you think. In fact, it could simply be a result of the sheets on your bed! IF you’re trying to stay cool at night with heavy sheets, there’s a problem. Instead, swap out your heavy sheets for cotton, linen, or even silk, which are all excellent thermo-regulators.

Stay Hydrated

During those hot summer months, our bodies sweat. A lot. And while sweating helps cool you off to an extent, it also depletes water in your body. As such, staying hydrated can help your body better regulate its temperature. In fact, drinking the recommended six to eight glasses of water per day could even reduce your need for the AC.

If you’ve taken anything away from these three tips, let it be this: you can help your AC out during the summer. While it’s certainly a nice perk, you’ll be doing your HVAC system and your wallet a favor by easing up a little bit.

Heating and cooling drains power at a ridiculous level and can drive up your energy bill quickly. According to statistics, HVAC systems account for about 48% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home, making it the largest energy expense for most homes. But, as the summer draws on, and the days get hotter, having air conditioning becomes imperative.

But getting a unit installed can be a little difficult, especially if you make poor decisions for financial reasons. You want your installation to be smooth, easy, and worry-free to avoid feeling like you’ve made a poor investment.

Here are some ways to ease your worries, and what to consider when getting the installation done.

Use a Reputable HVAC Company

This is important, you don’t want to have poor work done on your home or business, and have to deal with getting the system looked over, or repaired, after just having it installed. You should take the time to find a contractor with a good reputation and one who stands by their work.

It’s not worth saving money to go with the first pick or the one that is cheapest. It can lead to you spending twice as much money in the end, after installation, and then repairs.

Don’t Get a Used Unit

While a used unit might be cheaper, they almost always end up creating more problems and expenses down the line. They may also not be as good in terms of energy efficiency, or even power and ability, as a new unit. Or they may have a short lifespan.

Get a new unit, save yourself the financial ache later on. They’ll last longer, too.

Get An A/C Cage

An A/C cage is something that is used to secure the appliance and prevent theft. A/C units get stolen in many areas because they can be resold for a pretty penny later. This applies to both high-end neighborhoods and inner-city rentals, just about any property is susceptible to this crime.

Protect your investment, pay the extra $200 to secure your unit and prevent theft. It’ll cost much more to replace it later.

Get A Proper Sized Unit

If you have the choice between the installation of a larger unit, or a smaller unit, go with the larger one. An undersized unit can cause headaches down the road, as it may not have the power to lower the temperature of the building suitably.

The last thing you want is to be unable to lower the temperature from 90 degrees on a summer night.

Those are just some of the tips to consider when getting your HVAC system installed in your new home or office. If you have any questions about HVAC installation, feel free to contact us. We’ll be happy to help.