There is an increasing demand for air conditioning systems this year due to the above average temperatures and the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're busier now this year than we were in previous years," David Collis, vice president of Fred F. Collis and Sons said. "We’re typically busy as soon as the hot weather comes in, but this has been extreme so we’re finding a lot more demand for our services and a lot more repair and replacement work.”

Department stores such as Ace Hardware in Rome are seeing an increase in demand as well.

“Probably three times the normal volume of air conditioners and fans versus other years," said Jim Rizio, store manager at Ace Hardware in Rome. "Most of the demand on air conditioners or fans is right as the heatwave hits.”

The unseasonably warm temperatures are playing a role, as is the pandemic because more people are staying home than ever before.

“This week with the extreme temperatures, we’re going to be busy, things are going to be breaking down," Collis said. "More people are home so the equipment is getting used a lot more, taxed a lot more than normal.”

Collis has been following the CDC and state guidelines when doing installations and maintenance. Their showroom is also open with new precautions.

“As far as COVID goes, we’ve been following guidelines of CDC and state, and we’ve been screening our calls, making sure that people's homes that we’re going to are healthy, making sure our technicians are healthy with daily assessments, we’re using hand sanitizer, masks, sanitizer spray, and social distancing when possible," Collis said.

Ace Hardware is also following all of the guidelines to keep customers and employees safe.

When it comes to inventory, the pandemic has played a role with companies having the supply to keep up with the demand.

“COVID caused a disruption in the supply chains of lots of different categories, fans and air conditioners included," Rizio said. "Prior to the last heat wave, we bought a lot of inventory in those two categories, we’re just starting to sell through the end of that now and we have more product coming in weekly, but we are starting to see back orders on air conditioners and fans.”

Collis says a tip for keeping your home comfortable and your equipment safe during a heat wave is to not fluctuate your thermostat. He says, "keep your thermostat set when it’s this hot, just set it and forget it and that way it won’t be working as hard trying to catch up in the extreme heat."