Beede AC & Heating

Know before you book

Frequently Asked Questions

Transparent details. No surprises.

Q: How do I lower my electric bill?

Cooling is the biggest load in a Katy home, so start there: a maintained system, a clean filter, and a programmable thermostat. On the electrical side, a breaker that trips under normal load or warm connections at the panel mean the panel is working harder than it should. Both are worth a look before you chase small savings elsewhere.

Q: How do I reset a tripped breaker?

Find the panel, usually in the garage. A tripped breaker sits between on and off, and some show a red window. Push the handle all the way to off, then back to on. You should feel it catch. If it trips again, leave it off and call us. A breaker that keeps tripping is doing its job, and resetting it repeatedly is not a fix.

Q: What is a GFCI?

A ground fault circuit interrupter. It cuts power in a fraction of a second when current leaks where it should not go, which is why code puts them in kitchens, baths, laundry, garages and outdoors. Press the test button once a month. If it will not trip or will not reset, it needs replacing.

Q: Should I do anything different with holiday lights?

Check every strand before it goes up. Frayed cord, cracked socket, bare spot, it goes in the trash. Only chain as many strands as the box allows. Outdoor lights go on outdoor-rated cords and a GFCI outlet. Put them on a timer instead of leaving them on overnight.

Q: How do I pick an electrician?

Five things: The license number on the truck and on the paperwork. A certificate of general liability. A certificate of workers comp. The price in writing before work starts. The warranty in writing. Our license is [TECL #] and the certificates are available on request.

Q: The power is out. What now?

Look up and down the street first. If the block is dark it is CenterPoint, and they already know. If your home is the only one out, the problem is on your side and we can come look. Flashlights, not candles. Turn off what was running when it went out so nothing takes a surge on the way back. Leave one lamp on so you know when it returns. Never run a generator in a garage or anywhere enclosed.

Q: My home has fuses instead of breakers. Is that a problem?

Fuses are not automatically unsafe, but they cause two real problems. Nobody keeps spares, so the wrong amperage gets installed to get the lights back on, and that defeats the protection. And most insurers now want a breaker panel. In homes around Katy the bigger question is usually which panel you have, since a few brands from that era have known failure histories. We will tell you which one is in your garage and whether it needs replacing.

Q: Can my panel handle an EV charger?

Usually, but the panel decides, not the car. A Level 2 charger needs its own 240 volt circuit, typically on a 40 or 60 amp breaker, and that circuit has to fit inside what the service can carry. We run a load calculation before quoting anything. If there is room, the job is straightforward. If there is not, you are looking at a panel replacement first, or a load management device that lets the charger share capacity with the AC. For what you get: a standard outlet adds about 3 to 5 miles of range an hour, a Level 2 adds about 25 to 30. Cost mostly comes down to how far the charger sits from the panel.

Q: Is whole-home surge protection worth it?

Yes, and it is one of the cheaper things you can do to a panel. A Type 2 protector at the panel clamps what comes in on the service line, which is where most damage originates. Grid switching after a storm and the surge when power comes back do more damage around here than lightning does. What it protects is not the toaster, it is the control board in your AC system, the furnace board, the water heater and anything with a circuit in it. It will not stop a direct strike, and nothing sold to a homeowner will. Pair it with strips at the electronics. Check the indicator light after a big event, because a protector that has taken a hit needs replacing.

Q: Is a generator worth it?

Depends on what an outage actually costs you. Two days without power in August means a freezer, a hotel, and a house at 95 degrees. If someone in the home runs medical equipment, or you cannot afford to lose a work day, the math is easy. If you can ride out 12 hours with a cooler, it may not be.

Two honest options. A portable with an interlock kit and a dedicated inlet runs the fridge, some lights and a window unit for a fraction of the cost, and you refuel it yourself. A standby unit sits on a pad, runs off the gas line, starts itself in about 10 seconds and needs nothing from you. If you already have natural gas at the home, the standby install is simpler than most people expect.

The part that is not optional either way is the transfer switch. Backfeeding a generator into a panel without one puts voltage on the utility line and can kill a lineman working your street. We will not install one without it.

Q: How often does a standby generator need service?

The first oil and filter change comes at about 25 hours of run time, the break-in service, and skipping it is the fastest way to shorten the engine. After that, plan on annually or every 100 hours, whichever comes first. Batteries go every 2 to 3 years, and a dead battery is the most common reason a unit fails at the moment it is needed.
How Often Should a Generac Generator Be Serviced? +3

A few things worth knowing. The weekly self-test is not maintenance. A generator can pass its exercise cycle every week and still fail during a real outage if the oil, battery or fuel system has been neglected. And after a long Houston outage, the schedule moves: a unit running for several days straight hits 100 hours much faster than anyone expects, so log your run hours and tell us when you book.