Most Indiana Homeowners Do Not Invest in Home Maintenance and Are Not Prepared for Emergency Repair Costs in 2023

INDIANAPOLIS (July 11, 2023) – Williams Comfort Air, a leading Indianapolis heating and cooling company, and Mr. Plumber, a leading Indianapolis plumbing company, today released survey results which found most Hoosier homeowners are not properly maintaining their heating, cooling and plumbing equipment, nor do they have enough money set aside to cover emergency repairs to those systems should they break down.

The survey focused on understanding how proactive Hoosier homeowners are at keeping their HVAC and plumbing systems running properly, and whether they were prepared for the often unexpected and costly repairs needed if maintenance isn’t regularly performed.

The anonymous survey, which was taken by 550 Indiana homeowners, found most Hoosiers are not investing in ongoing maintenance for core home comfort systems (air conditioning, furnace and water heater). Other key findings from Indiana homeowners found:

• 69 percent do not currently have an ongoing preventive HVAC and/or plumbing maintenance plan
• 40 percent have scheduled at least one maintenance visit for their HVAC and/or plumbing system in the last year
• 30 percent have never had an HVAC and/or plumbing maintenance visit
• 65 percent have less than $1,000 set aside for emergency home repairs
• 57 percent describe paying for an unexpected bill over $1,000 as “very difficult” or “somewhat difficult”

“Our survey found the top reason people don’t invest in preventative maintenance plans is because they simply don’t want to pay for service unless something is broken,” said Greg Wells, President of Williams Comfort Air and Mr. Plumber.  “It may seem counterintuitive to spend money on HVAC and plumbing systems when nothing is broken, but in the home services industry, it usually ends up costing much more when people don’t proactively take care of their home’s core systems.”

Financial experts often recommend saving and setting aside one percent of a home’s value for emergency home repairs, with more savings recommended for those with older homes.

“According to our research, most Hoosiers do not invest in preventative maintenance, and then, unfortunately, are unable to afford the emergency costs that occur when systems fail or have major problems,” Wells said. “We want to help educate the communities we serve that proper maintenance can extend the life of systems—often by years. Certified professional HVAC technicians and plumbers can pinpoint and resolve small issues before they become major, often costly problems.”

To view the complete survey results and learn more about proper HVAC and plumbing system maintenance, visit https://williamscomfortair.com/knowledge-center/2023-hoosier-home-maintenance-survey/.

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Methodology

The Indiana HVAC & Plumbing Home Maintenance Survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of Williams Comfort Air and Mr. Plumber. Fielded between May 11-12, 2023, the results are based on 556 respondents. To qualify, respondents were screened to be residents of Indiana, 18 to 99 years of age, and currently own a home. Research was conducted with +/- 4.25% margin of error.