Floridians have to face a lot of dreadful things during the summer months.

Pesky pests. Stifling heat. Never-ending afternoon showers. Hurricanes.

But, if you really want to find a ticked-off Florida resident, find one whose air conditioning just went out on a summer afternoon. 

Don’t let that person be you. Before it is, you might want to give Total Air Solutions a call.

If the last year or two has taught us anything, it’s that being stuck inside is no fun, especially in the summer. And, the heat is just one reason.

Total Air Solutions offers a number of services, and as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, has evolved to provide its customers even more. With a premium placed on clean air like never before in our homes, schools and businesses, Total Air Solutions co-owner and co-founder Bill Albert says his company has seen a tremendous demand for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) products. 

As IAQ experts, Albert says Total Air Solutions specializes in customizing solutions to best protect your home from these airborne pollutants. 

Another side effect of the pandemic has (in many cases) been a shortage of much-needed parts when your A/C unit does fail. 

“There has been an economic failure to meet the demand for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning) products,” Albert says. “As a Carrier factory-authorized dealer, we have the first right to these units as they come out of the factory. You can count on us to deliver your repairs or new units faster than many of our competitors — and the last thing you want is to be stuck with no air conditioning and lacking the parts necessary for your repair.”

Total Air Solutions has been serving not only the Tampa Bay area, but areas up and down the Gulf Coast for the last 19 years. But, over most of that time, Total Air had mostly dedicated its business to commercial properties — from offices to medical clinics and more.

Three years ago, Total Air started servicing residential customers.

“We’ve been in Tampa a lot longer than people realize,” Albert says. “We hire local techs and we’re continuing to grow and very interested in growing in the Lutz, New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas.”

Total Air Solutions has made strides in its quest to become the go-to service provider for air conditioning in our area, especially with people spending so much time inside these days, when compared with pre-pandemic times, as well as rising temperatures.

“Everyone needs the service much more because the air is always running,” Albert says. “And, it’s Florida. So, it’s been a banner year for our residential side.”

Growing The Right Way

Albert figures that Total Air, which he started in his garage with fellow co-owner/co-founder Frank Decarlo, has nearly doubled in size over the past year or so.

Albert worked for six years as an HVAC distributor for Carrier Florida, first in Tampa and then in Orlando. Prior to that, he held positions in a solar hot water heating and installation company and at a home energy design system firm. 

Decarlo previously was the VP/general manager at a heating and cooling company in North Port, FL, for seven years, where he was initially hired as a service manager and grew that company’s annual sales fourfold. Prior to that, he was a service technician at an air conditioning firm in New York.

Now, 19 years later and having combined their efforts, Albert and Decarlo and have Total Air offices in Tampa and North Port and nearly 100 employees total.

“There are a lot of air conditioning companies out there, but there are very few qualified technicians,” Albert says. “We’re also Carrier-certified and (have won Carrier’s) President’s Award three years in a row, but we also can fix any brand because when you call us, we send you service technicians, not salesmen. There’s an industry term for that — an SID, or “salesman in disguise” — but that’s not what you get from Total Air. We’re not going to sell you things you don’t need. We try to find the total air solution for our customers.”

Keeping Eyes On Those Eyes

Albert says that Total Air is not only keeping homes cool and the air  clean, but also is in full hurricane season mode. While the Tampa Bay area has been fortunate so far this season, there are still two months remaining in the 2021 season. Any storm that hits the area could require a lot more service requests.

“We’re very conscious of hurricane season because we know there can be damage or people can be without air conditioning,” Albert says. “We want to help them get it back up and running as quickly as possible.”

And, Total Air does that very well and efficiently. It’s one of the reasons the company has been able to keep customers from the very start, and the majority of its Google reviews mention Total Air’s professionalism, responsiveness and punctuality.

“Total Air sent out Carlos, who was professional and knowledgeable about our system, even though they did not install the system,” wrote Greg MacPherson in a 5-star Google review, adding that the company that did install his system was “too busy” to help. “(Carlos) quickly found the refrigerant leak and soldered it, then tested and recharged the system. We had A/C again!”

Total Air has a number of different service plans, and recently added a premium maintenance plan called the “Safe & Healthy Neighbor Plan.” The new plan provides added benefits like a larger discount on replacement parts, high-efficiency filter upgrades and, most important, your annual dryer vent cleaning. Many companies, according to Albert, charge over $200 for this dryer vent cleaning service alone. But, Total Air’s “Safe & Healthy Neighbor Plan” is available for $46.99 per month (for 6 months).

Total Air also has a new, informative “System Health Report” with each of your maintenance appointments. This report gives you valuable insight into the condition of your A/C unit, plus any preventive recommendations to keep your system running at optimal performance.

Albert says the maintenance of an air conditioning system, even a new unit, is vital to keeping your house cool.

“Just because it’s running doesn’t mean it’s perfect,” Albert says. “I ask (customers), ‘Don’t you change the oil in your car, too?,’”

And, of course, Total Air Solutions also provides residential and commercial heating services, including installing heat pumps, as well as duct work services. You can even finance your new Carrier A/C. 

Total Air Solutions’ Tampa office is located at 1015 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more info, visit TotalAirFl.com or call (813) 247-2665 or see the ad on page 45.