What are the top air conditioning services and trends of the year? You're ready to upgrade or replace your HVAC system, but you're not sure which changes to make right now. Take a look at the AC trends that will cool your home without raising your budget.

A Smart Thermostat

These thermostats are more than just programmable. Even though you can program a smart thermostat, you can also monitor the cooling system while you're at work, on vacation, or anywhere else. You can also make changes as needed. This means you can come home to a cool house or bump up the setting if the temperature outside cools down.

Why upgrade to a smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it's possible to save up to 10% on your annual HVAC costs with a seven to 10-degree Fahrenheit thermostat change for eight or more hours per day. A smart thermostat allows you to easily set or adjust this type of temperature change. Not only will this reduce energy usage, it can save you money in the cost of electricity bills and wear-related repairs or replacement.

A Prompt Repair

Does your AC system use more electricity than it should? Is your air conditioner barely keeping your home cool? Does the central system make odd noises or have off odors? The longer you wait to schedule an HVAC service, the more likely it is that your air conditioner could fail. While a prompt repair isn't really an upgrade, it is a service that can't wait. This makes a repair call an evergreen trend that won't go away by the next cooling season.

A Mini-Split Ductless Air Conditioner

As the name implies, this AC system doesn't use ducts to transport cooled air throughout the home's interior. Instead, it relies on a zoned system of indoor air handler units and an outdoor compressor. This setup allows the system to cool a ductless home and provides a way to reduce summer-time electricity costs.

A zoned approach lets you cool only the areas that you use often. Without the need to cool unused spaces, you will use less electricity and may have smaller energy bills. Not only will the zoned approach to cooling save you money, but the elimination of ducts also makes losses through air leaks practically non-existent. This can also help to lower your cooling costs.

A Routine Maintenance Service

This service is typically a pre- or post-season appointment. But this doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't schedule a routine inspection and cleaning in the middle of the summer cooling season or at any other point in the year. Routine maintenance can help your system to work at peak performance. Like some of the other HVAC services and trends, this can also help to increase energy efficiency and decrease your cooling costs.

For more information, reach out to air conditioning services near you.