Heating and air conditioning are two of the most important features for your home - making sure that your family is suitably warm in Winter and comfortably cool in Summer.

We come to rely so much on air conditioning that it can be a real pain when it breaks down, and it’s Murphy’s Law that it will happen on the hottest day of the year. So knowing exactly who to call, and how much you’ll pay, can save you a lot of stress. If you have a reliable local air con repair service, you can have the system up and running before everyone melts into a puddle.

Even if your air conditioner is working fine, it’s a good idea to start making enquiries now so you’re not faced with astronomical charges if the unthinkable happens. As you’ll see, not doing your research about air conditioning repairs can leave you seriously out of pocket.

How repair services charge

General Breakdown and Repair

Most air conditioning repair services will charge you by the hour to fix your air conditioning unit and many charge a combined callout fee and minimum 1 hour labour charge to make it worth their while.

This can be up to $140 or more if you live in a main city, but once you’ve paid the first callout fee and the problem has been diagnosed, you shouldn’t have to pay another callout fee. Existing clients may get a discounted rate so it pays to check this.

If additional labour is needed past one hour’s worth, expect to be charged on an hourly rate basis, but this may be invoiced on increments, i.e. if the technician is only there for another half an hour, you’ll pay half the hourly rate.

Added to the bill will be the charges for whatever parts/equipment are needed to make the repairs.

Same Day Emergency Call Out

If you have an urgent repair some companies will offer emergency callouts but expect to pay more than the usual callout charge for this.

 Yearly maintenance checks

Replacing/cleaning the primary filters on your heating and air conditioning unit is something that you can do yourself and should be done every three months. But air conditioners contain delicate electronic and mechanical equipment that also needs servicing, and should be maintained by a trained technician.

If something breaks down, as we’ve seen above, the cost of repairing air conditioning units ain’t cheap at the best of times, so scheduling a thorough yearly maintenance check by a trained technician is a good idea. Before winter or summer usage is best.

The good thing about maintenance checks is that these are usually less expensive than a repair or emergency call out, and you’ll get a heads up if there’s a part that may need replacing in the future. A standard service time is 30 minutes, a premium servicing can take up to 90 minutes.

Regular servicing ensures air conditioning units last longer and run more efficiently saving you money on monthly energy bills.

Repair or replace the air conditioner?

If you’ve had your air conditioner for over 10 years then it could be costing you more money in repairs and energy bills than it should. The older an air con unit gets, the harder it is to find the right replacement parts if something breaks down, and you’ll find it will break down more often than a newer model.

Older units are also disadvantaged by not having a diagnostic system that lets you know when something in the unit isn’t working properly. This can make assessing the problem more difficult and costly (since time equals money when it comes to air conditioning repairs).

Getting quotes for repairs

Since there is a lot of choice on the market for air conditioning repairers it’s a good idea to get quotes from various companies on maintenance, callout fees and repair charges. Do this before your air conditioner breaks down so you’re not just calling the first repairer you Google. Be sure to provide information on the unit size, type and model so you can get an accurate quote.

Looking for an easy way to find a local air conditioning repairer? Get quotes for different air conditioning installation, repair and maintenance businesses at Bricks+Agent. Your one-stop-shop for hiring property service professionals.