Does Your Medical Condition Require Air Conditioning? Use These Tips To Keep The Cool Air Flowing
Air conditioning is more than just a way to make your home feel more comfortable. For people with some types of medical conditions, the cool air flowing from their home's HVAC vents helps keep them healthy and breathing comfortably, even during periods of excessive heat and humidity. These medical conditions include a wide range of respiratory diseases that make normal breathing difficult, such as emphysema, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, people who suffer severe allergic reactions when the pollen count is elevated may also rely on conditioned air to provide better air quality inside their homes. If you or a family member depend on your home's air conditioning system for health reasons, the following information will help ensure that you are never left gasping for air.
Get it in writing
If air conditioning is considered to be a medical necessity for you or a family member, it is important to obtain written documentation of this fact from your doctor or health care professional. This document should be discussed with your air conditioning repair professional and annotated on your account to help them prioritize any service needs that you may have in the future.
To ensure that a lack of electrical power does not put your health at risk, remember to provide a copy of the documentation from your medical professional to your electrical services provider. In most areas, having this type of document on file allows the power company to prioritize your home for repairs during a power outage situation. In addition, it can also prevent your power company from disconnecting your service for nonpayment of an outstanding bill, should that problem arise. The electric company may require your doctor to fill out additional documentation, so make sure that you check with their customer care representative to be sure.
Do the maintenance
When you or a family member depend on air conditioning to maintain health, it becomes very important to maintain the system properly. In addition to routine filter changes, consider having your system professionally cleaned and serviced at the beginning of each air conditioning season. If the weather is extremely hot or humid for long periods and your HVAC system has been working harder than it normally would, you may want to have the system serviced again to ensure that it continues to operate at peak efficiency. Companies like C B Lucas Heating & Air Conditioning may be able to meet your needs in this area.
Upgrade the system
If your system is in poor condition or improperly sized, it may not cool your home well and your health could be at risk. To avoid this possibility, have your HVAC professional examine your system to determine your best course of action. If you cannot afford to repair or upgrade the system, there are several options that may be able to help with this cost. These options include:
- local churches, charities and community organizations that provide assistance to families in need
- rebate programs offered by the state or federal government, your electric provider or the manufacturer
- applicable low-interest loan and grant programs for home repairs
Have a backup plan
No matter how often you have your air conditioning system serviced or how recently you have had it replaced, staying healthy means having a good backup plan, should something go awry. Take time now to locate alternative locations that you could reach quickly in case of an air conditioning system failure or a power outage that cannot be quickly resolved. To ensure that the list of alternative locations is as helpful as possible, make sure to do the following:
- call and confirm hours of operation for each location, as well as address and access information and note this information about each place on your list
- make several copies of the list and keep one in each vehicle, as well as easily reachable places in the home
- include the home of a nearby friend or neighbor, in case you are unable to travel to one of the other locations
If you or your family member begin to experience difficulty breathing because the air conditioning has failed, call 911 immediately for medical help.