Cardinal Plumbing, Heating and Air, a Sterling-based business serving Northern Virginia, is as busy as ever.

Patrick Garner, Cardinal’s operations manager, told WTOP that requests they’re getting are different from those to a year and a half ago. Customers seem to be more concerned about preventive maintenance than about replacement.

“Weather and comfort don’t really care about the economy,” he said.

“This is industrywide, all the way directly to the manufacturers,” Garner added. “If you look at some of the earnings calls for some of the large manufacturers, like Rheem and Carrier, they’ve come out and told their shareholders that they expect something like a 25-30% decrease in new system sales, but a large increase in small repairs.”

What’s making customers more mindful about maintenance is a corresponding increase in materials and equipment replacement costs.

“We’ve seen increases … not on everything, but honestly, on quite a bit,” Garner said.

Tariffs are one reason. Installers and repair technicians are also being paid more.

“We want all of our team members to be able to afford to live in the place that they serve. And with the cost of everyday life and everyday expenses rising, so do labor costs,” Garner said.

For customers looking for cost savings, Garner said maintenance plans at Cardinal and similar businesses provide the best value.

The technicians can also show customers how to perform some tasks, such as flushing their own water heaters.

Either way, regular maintenance can save homeowners hundreds of dollars on repairs, and thousands on full replacement.

Garner said we already do it for our cars, for example.

“You go every few months to get the oil changed in your car, you’re spending $50,” Garner said. “You go three years with never change the oil on your car, you’re blowing your engine and you’re spending $10,000. But as long as you’re ahead of it, you’re going to be fine.”

Editor’s note: Cardinal Plumbing, Heating and Air is based in Sterling, Virginia.