Attention facility managers and business owners:
Let’s see a show of hands: are you responsible for maintenance and operations of a business facility? Have you watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” this holiday season? Then this post is for you: here are some lessons about the importance of HVAC maintenance and your HVAC service tech that you can learn from this classic holiday film.
SPOILER ALERT: This article gives away details about the plot of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but we’re betting you’ve seen it half a dozen times anyway!
HVAC Lessons from “It’s a Wonderful Life:” Your HVAC Service Tech and Clarence the Guardian Angel
Protect what’s critical to your success
“It’s a Wonderful Life” teaches us an important lesson about recognizing and protecting what’s important.
Joseph (who seems to be the head guardian angel) understands this when he finds out George Bailey is in trouble. The heavenly leaders realize that George and his Building & Loan are critical to the success and well-being of the town of Bedford Falls. Because what would happen without him? Pottersville! Better send down Clarence the guardian angel to fix things.
So take this lesson to heart and make sure you realize how important your HVAC system is to the success of your business. When it’s not working, or even not working well because you have failed to call in your HVAC service tech to perform regular service, you can lose customers and your employees are less productive.
Related article: Your Uncomfortable Office Temperature Is Hurting Your Business
Forgive us, but we just can’t resist the analogy: your HVAC service tech also acts as your guardian angel with regard to your all-important heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems. HVAC service tech keeps your equipment going and protects it from breakdowns just like the angel keeps George going and protects him from a breakdown that could end his life.
One life/part affects so many others
George Bailey’s life turns out to affect so many people in Bedford Falls. Mr. Gower the pharmacist would spend half his life in jail without George. The Martini family would not have their home or their livelihood. His brother Harry would have died in childhood. His wife Mary would be a lonely old woman instead of a happy mother of three.
This may come as a surprise, but it’s true: every part in your HVAC system has a significant effect on the operation of other parts of the system. When your HVAC service tech comes in to maintain your system, he checks every capacitor, air filter, refrigerant line and evaporator coil and cleans, adjusts and replaces parts where needed. That’s because when one of those parts goes down, it can cause others to fail as well. The next thing you know, you need a guardian angel (your HVAC service tech) to come in and save the day with much more drastic measures when you have an emergency breakdown.
Saving lives/HVAC systems is tricky business
Apparently an angel-second-class has to be in training a long time (in Clarence’s case, over 200 years) to be eligible to face the challenge of earning his wings. Clarence is given a mighty task and there is a lot riding on the outcome of his mission. To save George (and the people of Bedford Falls), Clarence has to use all his ingenuity to come up with just the right solution: showing George what would happen if he had never been born.
An HVAC service tech also trains for years as an apprentice to be qualified to handle the tricky business of servicing HVAC systems. Just like Clarence, your HVAC service tech needs to have advanced knowledge and excellent problem-solving skills in order to complete his mission.
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Doing the right thing can have far-reaching effects
Joseph really did make a good call when he decided to send Clarence down to take care of George. That one action had a far-reaching impact on the world. When Clarence succeeds in saving George, not only does George live to help all the people in Bedford Falls, but he saves his brother who goes on to save dozens of soldiers in the war.
Bringing in an HVAC service tech regularly to take care of your mission-critical HVAC system also has far-reaching effects that you may not have considered beyond just preventing breakdowns. You’re your equipment is cleaned and tuned up regularly by an HVAC service tech, it uses less electricity to keep your bills down. That’s because it doesn’t have to work as hard or run as long to keep your space at the set temperature. Preventative maintenance also extends the life of your equipment, in many cases by several years or more.
Related article: [Air Conditioning Maintenance Doesn’t Cost. It Pays](Air Conditioning Maintenance Doesn’t Cost. It Pays)
Don’t neglect doing the right thing: call your HVAC service tech today to schedule your HVAC preventative maintenance.
Here’s a helpful tip: you get the best prices and the best preventative maintenance service when you sign up for a yearly HVAC service agreement. You get an HVAC service tech (and possibly more than one) who is familiar with your equipment and the needs of your business. If you have never had an HVAC service agreement, take a look at our handy guide to learn how to choose the right one for your business: HVAC Preventive Maintenance Contracts: How to Find The Right One For Your HVAC Infrastructure.
