Happy to support the Tiny Hands Foundation's Back-to-School Backpack Brigade which aims to provide 1,500 backpacks filled with school supplies for children in need across Sarasota and Bradenton.
If you would like to support this worthy cause, you can click here https://www.tinyhandsfoundation.org/backpack-brigade/.
Participating dealers volunteer their time and labor, Lennox provides the equipment and hands-on support, and select recipients get a new heating or cooling system at no cost to them.
Recipients are selected based on a variety of criteria, including physical, mental, or social disabilities; financial challenges; job loss; military service; and community service, but there’s one thing they all have in common - they always put others first. In the 10 years since the program started, Lennox dealers have installed over 1,000 units for deserving families in their communities.
How it works:
People like you nominate unsung heroes who may be going through hardship, helping others in need or simply supporting their community. After receiving all the nominations, Lenox honors a select group of recipients with new home comfort systems. Then, on the first weekend in October, Feel The Love Weekend, dealers from across the country donate their time and labor to make the program a success.
Nominations close August 31st so don’t delay!
If you or someone you know is down on their luck and could really use a new air conditioning system, visit https://www.feelthelove.com/florida and fill out the online nomination form today.
Secure the Unit
Make sure your outdoor unit is properly secured to the concrete. Check the metal bolts and straps that hold your system in place for signs of rust or deterioration which could make the unit vulnerable to high winds.
Clear and Cover
Prior to the storm, bring in any outdoor tables, chairs or other items that could become airborne and cause damage to the AC System. You can even cover the outside unit with a tarp in order to keep it free from flying leaves, dirt and other debris, but make sure to remove the covering before you turn the unit back on!
Cool Down Your House
Before the threat of the storm is imminent, try cooling your house as much as possible so you are comfortable for a while after you turn off your AC System.
Turn Off the Power
Nearly 90% of all electrical system damage occurs when the AC is left on during a thunderstorm or hurricane. You may have to tolerate a bit of heat and humidity when you turn off your AC but leaving it on could cost you thousands of dollars in repairs.
Wait 20 Minutes
Keep the AC System turned off until the storm passes and don't be in a rush to turn it back on. In the event of flooding,
With PACE Financing, Sarasota County Homeowners can finance energy-efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation systems with no money down and no credit check so you can sell your home quickly.
PACE Financing is easy to qualify for and the loan amount can be tacked on to your property tax bill so it gets paid off at closing, but you must use an Approved PACE Contractor, like Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating, to qualify for this amazing deal.
For more information call 941-921-7208 today!
But did you know that our accurate estimating, reliability, and drive to meet construction deadlines also makes us the preferred HVAC contractor of many of your favorite businesses across Sarasota and Bradenton?
Leedom discussed the top 10 scams targeting seniors, including health insurance fraud, prescription drug fraud, funeral scams, investment schemes, mortgage scams, lottery scams, and identify theft, while Mooney's talk focused on scams employed by dishonest HVAC contractors.
Teaching consumers how to protect themselves from would-be scammers is an integral part of the mission of Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating. Community. Informed. Protected.
A second symposium was held on Thursday, May 16 at the Venice Senior Friendship Center.
Don’t be fooled. These letters are actually coming from FPL “Energy Services”.
Recently, FPL, the largest utility in the state and the 3rd largest in the country, purchased Jupiter-Tequesta Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical and re-branded it as FPL Energy Services. Now, this unregulated subsidiary is leveraging the ratepayer-funded assets of its state-regulated parent and improperly accessing the data of millions of FPL customers to offer them a variety of services.
The Florida Public Service Commission has cautioned FPL against misrepresenting the communications of its unregulated subsidiaries and the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition (MEP), a statewide small business alliance established in opposition to FPL’s expansion into the for-profit home services market, claims that FPL is using predatory pricing and leveraging their corporate resources in order to “decimate the small business owners and contractors who offer these services locally.”
MEP believes that FPL aims to force small community-based contractors out of business and that, once they have succeeded, “FPL will be free to hold a monopoly position in these new industries, destroying competition and raising prices as they see fit.”
For more information visit: https://www.mepcoalition.org/the-case-against-fpl/.
You sign up for a home warranty, you pay a little each month and, if anything goes wrong with your air conditioning, plumbing or any other appliance, the repair or replacement is totally covered.How can you go wrong?
The problem is, you pay your monthly fee then, when something breaks down, you quickly realize the contract you signed is filled with fine-print exclusions that leave you responsible for much of the cost of the repair or replacement. In fact, the vast majority of homeowners who sign up for these warranties will pay far more in premiums, service fees, and uncovered repairs than if they didn’t have a warranty – that’s the business model.
With a home warranty, you don’t get to choose who does the repair, so you never know who’s going to show up and the technician that does show up works for the home warranty company so they’re incentivized to take the least expensive route like using the cheapest parts available or doing temporary fixes that keep the appliance running when it should be replaced.
These contracts also state that the home warranty company is not responsible for the negligence or conduct of the workers they dispatch.
Common homeowner complaints include denied claims, repairs performed incorrectly, and repairs taking days or weeks to schedule or complete. Additionally, hold times for reaching a customer service can be an hour or more. In some cases, when covered items can’t be fixed, the company refused to pay the entire cost
Just like normal upkeep on your car, your Sarasota air conditioning needs regular maintenance to ensure it continues to run efficiently.
During the AC preventive maintenance visit, skilled technicians carefully inspect all essential components of the air conditioner. They will make sure that your unit is in the best condition possible. Any damaged or worn parts can be replaced before further deterioration of them would damage other components or impede the operation of the unit.
A little prevention now will keep you cool all summer and save money in the long run.
They took this action in order to raise awareness about the growing number of fraudulent activities specifically directed at older adults across the country, to encourage the implementation of policies designed to prevent these scams, and to improve protections for seniors.
Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating can’t stop IRS impersonation scams, charity fraud or identity theft, but we can help stop predatory HVAC contractors from taking advantage of seniors in our community by teaching them how to spot a con so they can protect themselves.
Common scams include:
We’re so committed to fraud awareness and prevention that we created a website called Americas Repair Force (www.americasrepairforce.com) and a series of humorous videos designed to protect you from predatory contractors and help you avoid scams.
Don't be fooled, call Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating at 941-921-7208, whenever a deal sounds to good to be true!
#CommunityInformedProtected
Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating can help make that very worthwhile investment a little easier for you with a new clean-energy financing program.
Sarasota County Homeowners can now take advantage of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing Program which allows them to borrow up to 20% of their home’s value to finance energy-efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
Homeowners can take up to 15 years to pay back the loan and, thanks to an agreement between the PACE Providers (the financing organizations) and the Sarasota County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector’s office, the amount to be repaid is included as a non-ad valorem assessment on your annual property tax bill instead of a monthly payment like most other home expenses.
The first of four PACE Providers, Renew Financial, is now able to provide PACE Financing to homeowners in unincorporated Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota, and the City of North Port.
Homeowners in the Town of Longboat Key should be able to access the program soon.
In order to take advantage of this financing program, your contractor must be an Approved PACE Contractor. PACE Contractors are trained on regulations related to the PACE program, they conform to a code of conduct, and their licenses and insurance are checked.
We even created a humorous video series featuring the fictional A.C. Winterbottom, Agent for America’s Repair Force, and an accompanying website (www.AmericasRepairForce.com) that is full of information on how to spot a scam.
Unfortunately, as this recent news story illustrates, there’s no shortage of dishonest contractors trying to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners…
The Florida Office of the Attorney General is currently investigating Bruno Total Home Performance, formerly known as Bruno Air, in Bonita Springs for allegations of shoddy work, overselling and overcharging for products and services, performing unnecessary work, high-pressure sales tactics, and unscrupulous loan practices - including forging customers' signatures on financial documents.
Court records also indicate that Louis Bruno, LLC (d.b.a. Bruno Total Home Performance) has filed at least 3 foreclosure actions and over two dozen liens against property owners in Lee & Collier counties!
Predatory contractors will try anything to separate you from your money.
They’ll claim to find mold and tell you your family is in great danger - some will even claim that they can’t “legally” leave an AC system running in such bad condition. Other companies will strongarm you into signing documents and even refuse to leave before you do - obviously, they don’t want you to get a second opinion. The list of scams goes on…
But there are many ways to see if a company or contractor is reputable.
Consumers can
Small Business Owners Ask Attorney General to Investigate FPL's Business Practices Argue Company is Using Public Assets to Enter Private For-Profit Markets
The Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA) and a statewide coalition of mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors, the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition, today asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the business practices of Florida Power & Light (FPL). Specifically, the groups claim that FPL is misappropriating regulated public assets to enter private for-profit markets.
"FPL is using utility ratepayer funds and assets to buy their way into HVAC, electrical, plumbing and other industries and their goal is to put small local companies out of business and control these markets," said Jaime DiDomenico, the President of Cool Today, an HVAC, plumbing and electrical company based in Sarasota, and a member of the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition. "We hope the Attorney General will intervene to protect local businesses, jobs and consumers."
FRACCA originally filed a complaint with the state's Public Service Commission (PSC) on April 18, 2018 to prevent FPL from subsidizing Jupiter-Tequesta A/C through FPL Energy Services. Currently, Jupiter-Tequesta A/C is marketing itself as an FPL Energy Services company and is utilizing FPL's name and logo in all of its advertisements. FPL is also subsidizing Jupiter-Tequesta A/C in other ways such as recruiting employees, transferring incoming calls directly to the for-profit subsidiary, marketing their services in utility customer invoices and sharing a myriad of infrastructure and other
Perhaps you just saw the headline, “Private contractors organize coalition to oppose FPL’s new services”, and decided, “this doesn’t affect me”, but here’s why you should be concerned…
Florida Power & Light (FPL), the largest utility in the state (and the 3rd largest in the country), recently purchased Jupiter-Tequesta Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical and re-branded it as FPL Energy Services. This unregulated subsidiary is leveraging the assets of its state-regulated parent and improperly accessing the data of its 10 million customers to offer them services like surge protection, water heater and plumbing protection, and now air conditioning maintenance.
Tucked neatly in your utility bill, you’ll find a too-good-to-be-true AC Maintenance offer from FPL Energy Services, but that’s just what it is – too good to be true…
The following is the press release from MACCA:
***PRESS RELEASE***
COALITION LAUNCHES TO OPPOSE FPL’S PREDATORY EXPANSION
A state-wide small business alliance called the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition launched today to oppose Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) predatory practices. Specifically, the coalition stated that the company is using its public resources for private gain in the home services market including air conditioning, heating, plumbing and electrical services. MEP is an acronym for mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors. www.MEPCoalition.org
Coalition organizers include the South Florida Air Conditioning Contractors Association (SFACA), the
You probably thought this was a new service that Florida Power & Light (FPL), the state-regulated utility that delivers energy to your home, was offering. After all, FPL Energy Services has a similar name, it uses the FPL logo, and the offer came in your FPL bill so why would you think anything else? But FPL Energy Services is not Florida Power & Light, and it is certainly not regulated in the same way.
FPL Energy Services is a for-profit subsidiary of Florida Power & Light (FPL). FPL is taking advantage of the relationship they have with its 10 million customers across half the state to sell them services like surge protection, water heater and plumbing protections, and now air conditioning maintenance through unregulated subsidiaries and affiliates that have not earned your trust.
FPL recently purchased Jupiter-Tequesta Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical and re-branded it as FPL Energy Services (FPLES), but FPLES does not have their own technicians, they use contractors from outside the area who are desperate for any work they can get to offer services to unsuspecting customers who think they are dealing with FPL.
Local contractors work hard to build relationships in their communities, their kids go to school with your kids, they support youth sports in your community, and they help clean local parks and beaches. They know their customer base and they know they have to earn your trust every day.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season is currently defined as the period between June 1 and November 30.This All-Hazards Planning Guide has all the information you need to prepare for any disaster, in particular, another hurricane. Stay Safe Sarasota!
Prepare Now
This guide is produced by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council in partnership with your County Emergency Management Agency.
With the exception of those with “high-end” majors, skilled apprentices in the U.S. earn more than the average 4-year college graduate over their lifetimes, According to Dr. Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
In addition to their higher lifetime-earnings potential, an apprenticeship allows workers to earn money while learning a trade and get the hands-on experience that employers are looking look for so they are at a distinct advantage over those that are coming straight out of a classroom.
In contrast to earning as you learn, many who attend 4-year college institutions enter the workforce with staggering amounts of debt.
So why is it that less than 1% of workers in the U.S. begin their careers as apprentices?
Colorado recently became first state to offer a statewide youth-apprenticeship program. The program dubbed “Careerwise Colorado” was instituted because industries in the state were facing a severe shortage of “middle-skilled” workers. Middle-skills are those that require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree.
This shortage of tradespeople is not unique to Colorado and it remains to be seen whether the success of Careerwise Colorado will lead to an increase in apprenticeship programs.
Our very own Sean McCutcheon started his career as an apprentice in a local air conditioning company shortly after graduating from Riverview High School in 1992. His hard work paid off quickly, by 1998 he had become a partner
Scammers will often target neighborhoods with high concentrations of senior citizens then go door to door claiming to have spotted something in need of immediate repair like a hole in the roof, but this is only the first part of the scam.
Some scammers will use this tactic to simply gain access to a home. Often working in pairs, one of the supposed workers will distract the homeowner while the other enters the home and steals money or other valuables.
Some will demand payment up front then pretend to do the work they were hired to do or they simply won’t come back after they’ve received payment. Others will claim that, upon further inspection, the problem they had diagnosed from the street is more severe and will therefore cost more to repair.
Bottom line, good contractors are in high demand and they do not go door to door looking for business. These scammers are not licensed and they do shoddy work which can do more harm than good.
For more information on avoiding scams visit America's Repair Force
Thank you to all our wonderful clients who took the time to vote for Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating in the Herald-Tribune’s Readers’ Choice poll.
Lately, there’s been a surge in the number of people calling to find out how much we charge to install an Air Conditioning unit they bought online.
The short answer is $0.
Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating will not install a unit we did not purchase directly from the manufacturer and neither will most reputable Air Conditioning and Heating companies. You may be wondering why we wouldn’t just charge you for the labor and be glad that we didn’t have to deal with the hassle of loading and unloading this very heavy piece of equipment?
Air Conditioning and Heating systems are not “plug and play” like ovens or refrigerators. If you can save a few bucks by purchasing an oven or a refrigerator online, go right ahead. Air Conditioners, however, must be installed by skilled technicians who know how to purge the system, how to pull it into a vacuum, how to charge it with refrigerant, how to adjust the airflow, and much, much more.
But we have the skilled technicians, so what’s the problem?
The complexity of an Air Conditioning system installation gives online retailers a lot of room to shift blame, when a problem does occur, to issues related to the installation rather than a defect in the unit itself. This means they can easily get out of