By mid-August, something shifts in Colorado Springs. The afternoons are still warm, but the mornings have an edge. Anyone who has lived here long enough knows what that means. Pikes Peak gets its first dusting before most neighborhoods have turned off their sprinklers.
At Awesome Home Services, our phones get noticeably busier right around then. Not with emergency calls. With homeowners who have decided this is the time to stop putting off home upgrades. Furnaces that have been running for decades. Panels that were never designed to handle an EV charger. Water heaters that are still working but are also twelve years old.
Late summer is when savvy Colorado Springs residents plan. Last year, home upgrade requests peaked at 218 jobs in late summer. Those who plan in August and September are not the ones calling us in a panic in January.
"When you schedule an estimate before the first freeze, you have time to look at efficiency, compatibility, and long-term value instead of rushing into a replacement during an emergency," says Dale Chason, HVAC Manager at Awesome Home Services.
Schedule an estimate while we have room to give your project the time it deserves. Call (719) 800-7121 or reach out online.
The Window Between Summer and Winter
There is a short stretch each year when the pressure to get home upgrade estimates is off. Warm-weather days are winding down. But the cold winter days haven’t started. We are not running back-to-back no-heat calls, and homeowners are not competing with their neighbors for the next available appointment slot.
That window runs roughly from July through September. The homeowners who take advantage of it are not making impulse calls. They want a real look at what they have, honest options laid out, and enough time to make a decision without a broken furnace in the background.
Once October arrives and the first hard freeze hits the Front Range, that changes fast. Availability tightens. A project that would have taken a week to schedule in August can take three in November.
Getting a Second Opinion When It Actually Matters
A fair number of the home upgrade estimates we do in late summer come from homeowners who have already heard something from another company and want to understand their options before committing. That is a smart move. It is a lot easier to do in August than in the middle of a cold snap.
When your furnace goes out in January, your options narrow. You need heat, you need it fast, and whoever can get there today has more leverage than whoever could have gotten there in two weeks. Getting estimates in late summer changes that.
"We always encourage homeowners to get all the information they need before committing to a major repair or replacement," Chason says. "In the summer and early fall, there's room for a real conversation about the condition of the system and whether replacement, repair, or upgrades actually make sense."
We have seen homeowners told by another company that their furnace was causing problems with their air conditioning. Sometimes that is true. Sometimes the systems need to be evaluated together rather than assumed to be incompatible. Getting a second opinion in August, before anything is broken, gives the clearest picture.
HVAC: Getting Ahead of the Pikes Peak Winter
Furnace estimates show up in our late summer schedule even when it is 90 degrees outside. The homeowners requesting them are not waiting for a breakdown. They know the system is old, and they would rather replace it on their schedule than ours.
"Colorado winters are tough on HVAC systems," Chason says. "If you have an older furnace that has been pushed season after season and it's showing signs of wear, replace it before winter hits so you have time to look at efficiency ratings, equipment options, and what actually fits your home long-term."
The projects we see most often in Q3 are worth knowing about:
- Replacing aging furnaces – Homes where the furnace is older than the air conditioner are common. Mismatched system ages create efficiency problems and compatibility headaches when something finally has to change. Replacing the furnace before that forced moment keeps the transition in your hands, not ours.
- Adding AC to homes that never had it – If you have an older home, it likely doesn’t have central air because these systems weren’t common decades ago. When you finally install a unit, the existing furnace and ductwork need to be evaluated to confirm they can handle the new load. That assessment takes time. It is worth doing in the off-peak months, not during the first heat wave.
- Duct cleaning before the house seals up for winter – Once the windows are closed and the cold weather starts, what is in your ductwork circulates continuously. Having your ducts cleaned before you start up your furnace helps improve indoor air quality.
HVAC upgrades like those listed above are not emergency decisions. They are planned ones. And planning them in late summer means the work happens before the first freeze, not during it.
Electrical Upgrades and the Rise of EV Charging
The electrical side of our late-summer schedule looks different from what it was five years ago.
"Homeowners are adding more electrical demand to their homes than ever before," says Edward Acosta, Electrical Manager at Awesome Home Services. "Between EV chargers, upgraded HVAC systems, and home office setups, older panels hit their limits faster than most people expect. Getting an assessment in late summer tells you where your system stands before you commit to anything."
EV charger installations have become one of the more common estimate requests we get, with 46 jobs coming in last summer. These projects almost always come bundled with a panel conversation.
Most older Colorado Springs homes were not wired with Level 2 charging in mind. Installing a Tesla charger or another EV charger in the garage often requires a sub-panel upgrade or additional dedicated circuits. That work is worth scoping before the charger arrives. We can handle both.
"We see a lot of homeowners wait until after they buy the EV or start a remodel before thinking about the electrical side," Acosta says. "By then, they’re trying to move fast on everything at once. Getting ahead of the electrical side means the rest of the project moves on their timeline."
Other electrical work we see bundled with HVAC upgrades includes:
- Panel upgrades – High-efficiency HVAC systems sometimes require more capacity than an older panel provides. If you’re replacing a furnace or adding AC, your technician might note during the assessment that you need a panel upgrade. That is not a sales tactic. It is just what the house needs.
- Outlet relocation and lighting – In late summer, we see a surge in estimates for vaulted ceiling lighting and other electrical work. If you’re like most homeowners, you’re finishing up warm-weather projects and preparing your home for more time spent inside.
The pattern is consistent: one project shows you what the next one should be.
Plumbing: Getting the House Ready Before Hosting Season
Water heater replacements are among the more predictable late-summer requests. If you have an aging tank unit, you know that winter is hard on a struggling system. And what might seem like a sudden system failure to you is likely anything but.
"Most water heaters don't fail without warning," says Dean Christian, Plumbing Operations Manager at Awesome Home Services. "You might notice signs like inconsistent hot water, strange noises, or longer recovery times. Taking care of it in late summer gives you time to replace the system before winter sets in and a house full of guests, extra showers, and a dishwasher running twice a day pushes it past its limit."
If you're already looking at a replacement, late summer is also a good time to ask whether a tankless conversion makes more sense than a direct swap.
Tankless conversions need planning. The installation involves modifying gas lines and venting, and the process is smoother when it is not happening under time pressure. You can use the late-summer estimate process to understand what the conversion entails, get the numbers in front of you, and schedule the work for September or October before the holidays arrive.
Kitchen and bath estimates follow a similar pattern in late summer: we see an uptick in requests for faucet replacements, fixture upgrades, and gas line extensions for basement kitchens or outdoor grills. If you’re considering holiday hosting, you want the house in better shape before guests arrive. Getting an estimate for that work now leaves room to schedule it properly.
“Late summer is when homeowners start thinking ahead to family gatherings and colder weather,” Christian says. “Whether it’s upgrading fixtures, replacing a water heater, or extending a gas line for an outdoor space, getting estimates early helps avoid the scheduling crunch that comes later in the year.”
Plan Now, Stay Comfortable Later
Calling us in late summer doesn’t mean you’re reacting to something broken. You are staying ahead of issues. You have seen what a January no-heat call looks like or have watched a neighbor deal with it, and you have decided that is not how you want to spend your winter.
So here is the honest version: the late summer window is real. We have more flexibility at that time. You have time to make a considered decision instead of an urgent one.
If you have home projects you have been putting off, this is the nudge. Once the first freeze hits the Front Range, the calculus changes.
Call (719) 800-7121 or submit an online request to schedule a free installation estimate with Awesome Home Services. We offer HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and garage door services in Colorado Springs. Up-front pricing before any work begins. No surprises.
