HVAC inCentral, SC

What heating and air do Central homes have?

Mostly electric heat pumps: about 79% of Central homes heat with electricity, more than in Clemson or Seneca, and the median home was built in 1988.

The town is older than its houses. Central was named for its spot at the midpoint of the Air Line railroad between Atlanta and Charlotte; the railroad came through in 1873 and the town incorporated in 1875. Most of what stands today is much newer, and with nearly four in five homes heating with electricity, a split heat pump with an indoor air handler is the system you are most likely to find. A heat pump from the late 1990s or early 2000s is past its expected life by now.

What should Central landlords and renters plan for?

Shared upkeep. About three-quarters of Central homes are rented, a higher share than in Clemson, with Southern Wesleyan University in town (it began as Wesleyan College in 1906) and Clemson University next door.

For landlords with several units:

• Book tune-ups twice a year. A heat pump needs a spring visit for cooling and a fall visit for heating. A yearly plan from a contractor typically runs $150–$350; see heat pump and AC maintenance.
• Keep a list of each unit’s age and refrigerant. Systems past 10 years are the ones to budget for, and replacing in spring or fall, not in a heat wave, gives you more choice. The guide to the best time of year to replace HVAC explains why.
• Set a filter schedule. Filters need changing every one to three months; decide in the lease who does it.

Tenants: tell the landlord or property manager first, and describe what the system is doing.

What is different about Six Mile?

More rural, and more mobile homes. Six Mile, in Pickens County (ZIP 29682), is a town of about 770 people, incorporated in 1910 and named for lying six miles from Keowee and Fort Prince George, both now under Lake Keowee.

• Mobile homes: nearly a third of homes in the ZIP, typically cooled by an all-in-one packaged unit or a system built for manufactured homes, with the ducts running beneath the floor.
• Newer houses: about half of homes in the ZIP were built since 2000.
• Seasonal homes: about one in eight sits empty part of the year, with Keowee-Toxaway State Park and the lake nearby.

Who supplies power in Central and Six Mile?

It depends on the address. Six Mile and rural Pickens County are largely on Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative or Duke Energy, so check the name on your power bill before planning around a rebate or loan.

• Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative lends members money for a new heat pump and collects it through the monthly bill, over up to 60 months. It needs a Blue Ridge approved dealer, 12 months of membership, home ownership and a whole-unit replacement. Ask the co-op for current terms.
• Duke Energy customers can claim a Smart $aver heat pump rebate in the $350–$900 range when a participating contractor does the install. Mobile homes qualify only on a permanent foundation.

For a full system, start with heat pump and AC replacement.

Who issues permits in Central, SC?

Inside town limits, the Town of Central’s own Building Permits & Inspections department. In Six Mile, ask the town first; in unincorporated Pickens County, Pickens County Building Codes charges $75 for a job up to $8,000, then $10 per $1,000, and doubles the fee if work starts before the permit.

Owners and landlords in Central or Six Mile can request a ballpark price online.