2010-07-06 06:46:12 - The economy may be tough for some, and green energy may be hurting a few, but for one local business, San Diego air conditioning and heating is humming along just fine.

As many Americans cut back on energy consumption by keeping their thermostats up a few degrees higher this summer, it appears they are not ready to cut back on comfort – too much. AIRMAKERS Heating and Air is not breaking any sales records this year, but they certainly haven’t seen the reduction in business for which they have prepared. Business is surprisingly steady for van Johnson and his wife Mayela, San Diego heating and air contractors.

The Johnsons have been in the heating and air business for over fifteen years and have seen sales slip in some years while purchases of new systems skyrocketed in other years. They certainly thought this was going to be one of their worst years to

date, but so far, they are crossing their fingers.

The steady business could be due to their great customer service or brand name Rheem products. The heating and air community in San Diego is fairly small so the word gets out pretty quickly when one contractor is not doing too well. Likewise, when a contractor develops a good name for themselves, it could have a positive impact on their sales. This may very well be the case for AIRMAKERS.

One puzzling aspect to all this is the trend toward green products. AIRMAKERS sells traditional heating and air systems and not solar products. They thought with the bad economy and with many people opting for green cooling systems, they would feel a bit of the pinch this summer. The answer can lie among two possibilities. First, AIRMAKERS uses high energy efficient systems that almost always save money and power to their customers, especially after replacing their old, inefficient units that are, in some cases, more than twenty years old. The other reason AIRMAKERS, and perhaps other contractors, may not be feeling the economic drag so much is that many of their systems can be powered by solar or wind power.

As far as other San Diego air contractors, the Johnsons are not sure if they are experiencing the same steady growth in business or if like the rest of the economy, times are tough. In San Diego, the later would not be surprising because much of the county has experienced a cooler than normal summer so far. San Diego gets a cloud cover they call “June Gloom,” which normally dissipates by the Fourth of July weekend, but not this year. The only areas receiving warm, summer-like, conditions are the inland areas. It’s only a matter of time, however, before the cool weather breaks and summer hits with full force, sending San Diegans to the beach for relief. Better yet, hopes Van Johnson, inside to a brand new Rheem air conditioning unit.