Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for HVAC companies that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Alternative Heating & Air Conditioning Solutions, Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is simple: provide personalized service throughout every step of every job. “Everyone who works here takes a personalized approach to their work,” confirms General Manager Mike Rebholtz. “Our customers really appreciate the amount of care we put into each project.”

Alternative Heating & Air Conditioning Solutions provides a variety of HVAC services for residential and commercial clients in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Francisco Counties. In addition to installing, repairing, and maintaining high-efficiency heating and cooling systems made by industry leaders like Mitsubishi, Trane, Daikin, Bryant, and Carrier, the company performs load calculations, offers custom duct work and more.

Ron Melrose owned his own business before joining hands with Alternative Heating & Air Conditioning Solutions at the end of 2017 and has become a key member of the team. Service and Operations Coordinator Jeff Evenson makes sure all of the details are handled expeditiously so every customer experiences 100 percent satisfaction. “All of us are committed to providing personalized service throughout every step of every job,” says Mr. Rebholtz.

Unlike HVAC companies whose owners delegate quality control responsibilities to less experienced employees, Mr. Rebholtz and Mr. Melrose oversee every job to make sure the customer experiences 100 percent satisfaction. “Ron and I meet with each customer to provide their initial estimate, and we monitor our installation and service technicians to ensure they’re doing everything properly,” explains Mr. Rebholtz. “Quality control is very important to us, and our customers appreciate that.”

Another distinguishing attribute of Alternative Heating & Air Conditioning Solutions is its highly trained and experienced technicians, all of whom are experts in evaluating each customer’s specific HVAC situation and coming up with the best solution. “Our service technicians are very reliable and professional, and they’re dedicated to helping our customers any way they can,” says Mr. Rebholtz. “We have to charge more per hour in order to keep such excellent technicians on our team, but it ends up saving our customers money because we’re able to work faster than most companies. We get it done right the first time.”

Take simple steps to maintain your home’s heating or cooling system.

As much as half of the energy used in the average home can go toward heating and cooling, so by making sure your HVAC system is operating at its peak potential, you can significantly increase your comfort while decreasing your utility bills. Consider the following maintenance tips:

Keep it clean. ”You can improve your HVAC system’s efficiency by 15 percent just by cleaning the blower,” says Mike Rebholtz, general manager of Alternative Heating & Air Conditioning Solutions, Inc. in Menlo Park. “You should also make sure the burners are clean and the heat rise (the difference between the temperature of the outgoing and incoming air) is within the manufacturer’s recommendations. Running a furnace with a poorly adjusted heat rise can cause irreversible damage, and inexperienced installers can overlook a simple check altogether.”

Invest in a good filtration system. Mr. Rebholtz recommends HEPA-style filters, which are designed to improve indoor air quality by blocking up to 98 percent of pollen and dust. “HVAC efficiency isn’t just about comfort and lower utility bills; it can provide health benefits as well.”

Make sure ducts are sealed. Poorly sealed and insulated ductwork can account for a surprising amount of energy loss, so check the seals on all the ducts that run through your attic, garage and crawl spaces. You should have a professional HVAC technician handle the job, but if you need a quick fix, use duct sealant or metal-backed tape to seal all seams and connections. Don’t use duct tape—it doesn’t have the right amount of staying power.

Mr. Rebholtz also suggests looking at alternative HVAC systems that offer environmental benefits as well as energy savings. “There are various solar systems on the market now, as well as ductless split air conditioners that are good alternatives to window units,” he explains. “There’s even an Italian-made system that cools the sheetrock from the ceiling without any airflow whatsoever.”

Q: How long will it take to install a new furnace in my house?

A: It depends on the nature of the installation. Swapping out an existing furnace usually takes about half a day, but installing an entirely new system can take up to three days.

Q: What exactly is involved with a furnace tune-up?

A: We use a 16-point checklist to ensure each furnace is operating at peak efficiency. You’ll get a copy of this checklist so you can see exactly what was inspected and what condition your furnace is in.

Q: What does it mean if my furnace is rated 80 percent efficient?

A: The efficiency rating is based on the ratio of heat from burned fuel that’s pumped into your ductwork and actually heats your home or business. If you have a 100,000 BTU furnace that pumps 80,000 BTUs into the ducts, your furnace is 80 percent efficient (the rest of the heat goes up the flue). If you have a high-efficiency furnace (95 percent), you can burn less fuel and produce the same results.

Q: Should I get a more efficient blower for my furnace?

A: It depends on the specifics of your electricity bill, but we usually recommend getting a high-efficiency blower. Californians typically spend 30 percent of their utility bills on gas and 70 percent on electricity, so if you can decrease your electricity consumption by getting a more efficient blower, it’s usually a better investment than upgrading your furnace to reduce your gas consumption.

Q: Why should I replace my ductwork?

A: Older duct systems tend to have leaks and usually aren’t insulated as well as newer systems. We can often save our customers 20 to 30 percent on their energy bills just by replacing old ducts.