Keeping Your St. Louis AC Running During Extreme Heat

June 8, 2026

A heat dome traps hot air over a region for days or even weeks at a time. When one settles over the St. Louis metro area, temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, the nighttime lows bring no relief. Your AC system runs almost nonstop under those conditions, and that demand pushes it closer to its limits every minute. Knowing how to manage your system during extreme heat can prevent a breakdown when you need cooling the most. Why a Heat Dome Pushes Your AC to Its Limits Most residential AC systems size for a design temperature around 95 degrees. Engineers use that benchmark because it covers the vast majority of summer days in the region. When outdoor temperatures stay above 100, your system loses the ability to keep up. The gap between indoor and outdoor temperatures grows wider than the system can bridge. High overnight temperatures during a heat dome add extra strain to your AC. Cooler nights give the unit a lighter workload and a chance to rest between cycles. When the lows stay above 80, the system runs more often through the night to hold your set temperature. That increased runtime adds wear to the compressor, fan...

View Article

Read More

Reasons 2026 May Be the Year Fixed-Speed ACs Become Obsolete

June 1, 2026

For many decades, fixed-speed AC units were the standard in homes all across areas like O’Fallon, MO. With this unit, you turn it on, and it runs at 100% capacity until the thermostat temperature is reached. In recent years, and especially now in 2026, variable-speed ACs are quickly taking their place. These units adjust their output in real time based on the temperature. It’s a much gentler process that also saves electricity. Fixed-speed air conditioners hung around so long because they were the only viable option for larger units like central ACs. With more market competition, government regulations, and technological advances, we’re seeing variable-speed ACs increase in popularity. The Precision of Variable-Speed Compressors The first huge advantage of a variable-speed compressor (VSC) model is that it’s all about precision. Fixed-speed compressors are an “all or nothing” style of machine. With a VSC model, your unit can kick on at 25% and gently lower the temperature. This saves a lot of electricity. Fixed-speed systems generally use more electricity because they operate at full capacity whenever they run. Gently running requires far less current. It also creates less wear and tear on the machine itself. The VSC model also excels at keeping...

View Article

Read More