The warm weather snuck up on Erie this summer, which has HVAC repair people racing from one job to the next for emergencies and yearly maintenance. 
Rick Reeves of Reeve's Plumbing and Heating said they are just as busy in the summer fixing A/C units as they are in the winter repairing furnaces.

"It's easier to do the air conditioning calls, and I'll tell you why, it's just easier to get around without the snow. But we still have to hit them all and take care of all of our customers", explained Reeves.


Nationwide, the cost of parts and new A/C units has increased. Jorge Alvarez, the Vice President of Sales of iGas said, "Consumers are going to pay a lot more. A typical system that last year alone that would have cost them $4,000 installed, this year is going to cost them $8,000.


Reeves said they have experienced some issues with tariffs and rising costs here at home, "We've had a few issues with getting parts overseas, not drastically for us, but definitely price increases and I think a lot of it is not just related to tariffs, a lot of it is due to these manufacturers retooling for this new high efficiency equipment."


If people don't have air conditioning, Reeves has advice for ways to keep the heat out of homes. There's a few things people can do to keep to keep their homes cool, they can close their blinds or they can keep doors open to let the air circulate.


He said even with rising costs, that hasn't impacted their service or inventory. According to Reeves, "Unfortunately cost is going up as everything is. Repairs are definitely higher than they were last year. Installations will cost more this year to last year. We were having a little hard time getting material, but we are all good. We have a big stock of inventory in air conditioners now."


Reeve's said during these stretches of warm days, they purposely keep their schedules open for emergency calls and repairs.