While most of our customers are homeowners looking to make their own lives a little easier, more and more investment property owners are realizing our service can save them time and money.

Protect Your HVAC Asset

As an investor, it's important to recognize the asset value of your property's HVAC units. Replacing an air conditioner or furnace unit typically costs at least $5,000 in parts and labor but, if properly maintained, can last for over 15 years. That said, units that are not properly maintained (CHANGE YOUR FILTERS REGULARLY) are much more likely to break, resulting in major maintenance expenditures and major landlord headaches.

But It's the Tenant's Job - I Put It In The Lease!

Residential leases often require tenants to perform some routine maintenance, and often explicitly mention replacing filters. It's a reasonable request from property owner to tenant. However - if you're not checking up on it, how confident are you that it's happening?

Let's be serious - most tenants aren't t concerned about maintaining their landlord's air conditioners. Even the best intentioned tenants have busy lives and going to the hardware store to buy replacement filters is something that can easily be put off. Even if you inspect the filters on a regular basis, it's an impossible clause to enforce and is it even worth raising this issue with an otherwise great tenant?

Make Your Tenants Happy

So although sweet Mrs. Henderson isn't heading to the hardware store quite often enough - maybe her Christmas cookies have earned her a pass on this one. Your tenants value clean air and energy savings as much as you do. Sign them up for On Time Air Filters and explain that they'll be receive a box of new AC filters every few months. The first time they come, show them how easy they are to replace and tell them that they'll save money on their electricity bill and breathe in cleaner air. They'll appreciate your effort, expense and gesture and often, good landlords make good tenants. If you're protecting your investment at the same time, all the better!

P.S. - If your tenant's a smoker or has pets, you may want to spring for the "Best for Pets" filter to help eliminate odors. With any luck, you may be able to avoid replacing the carpet for the next tenant.

If you're a landlord or investment property owner with multiple properties, feel free to contact us for volume discounts.

Filed under: Matt Robins • Landlord Tips • air filter subscription • Air Filters • Income & Investment Properties

Today we launched what I'll v1.9 of OnTimeAirFilters.com.  This version brings some significant imporvements to the filter selection wizard that not only makes the ordering experience even easier, but also allows us to significantly expand the range of HVAC and whole house filters that we offer.  Step 1 of the wizard now has a truly awesome menu structure that organizes filters by size and, in the case of whole house filters, by name brand replacement.  This menu structure allows us to massively expand the number of filters offered while keeping the selection process organized and simple to use.  Additionally, we have added an entire section of custom filter sizes as a separate section in the menu.  These are the most common of the uncommon sizes customers have requested.  Of course, if you don;t see your size, just let us know.  We offer a custom filter size service so we can deal with just about any situation you have.

What else?  Well, check out the detailed information we now provide on whole house filters....replacement brand, actual filter size (versus the listed size printed on the filter frame), part number, air cleaner model number, and other important details are now listed for every whole house filter we carry.

So why is this v1.9?  Well, we still need to add the "My Account" feature.  It's in development and was originally planned for this release, but we wanted to get these improvements our right away.  The My Account release is right around the corner.

So, give our new site a whirl and let us know what you think.  We are always trying to improve our service.  Your feedback is always welcome.

Before I forget, I HUGE shoutout to the great folks at Rusty Brick, and especially Michael B., for the world class job they performed pulling this version together.  The Best.  Period.

Filed under: Mark Leffers • MERV • air filter delivery • HVAC • air filter subscription • Air Filters • Air Filter Sizes • Whole House Air Filters

We're always looking for insight into how to reach new customers with our not-so-well-known scheduled air filter delivery service.  So when we have a chance to speak to existing customers, we obviously want to know how they found us.  I spoke to a gentleman in Bethesda, MD yesterday.  He needed an unusual air filter size for his HVAC system that he couldn't find at the local hardware store.  With a house full of cats he needs to change the filters frequently and he wanted a solution that didn't involve running from store-to-store looking for the right sizes every three months.  He went online and found On Time Air Filters.  He loves our service and even offered to let me know if he came up with any clever marketing concepts that we could us.  While we pretty much never refuse a a good offer, I suggested that the best thing he do for us is recommend us to his friends.  Nothing beats a personal vote of confidence. 

Filed under: Mark Leffers • MERV • HVAC • air filter delivery • Air Filters • air filter subscription • Air Filter Sizes

 The American Association of Apartment Owners recommends On Time Air Filters as a great solution for apartment owners and landlords.  It's today's "Landlord Quick Tip."

And I quote: "It’s not a luxury. It’s a sanity-saving convenience, at a very convenient price."  

Check out the full story here.

Filed under: Sue Heilbronner • Landlord Tips • air filter delivery • Air Filters

 I once had a boss who used to talk about old-time marketing and used to say "test breakthroughs, not whispers." I'll be honest, I never really was sure what that meant in terms of new-world marketing, because so often in testing and building web startups, the early signs of buy in are just that: whispers.

Case and point? Today we got an early-morning order via an Adwords ad.  The search term for the shopper?  "Air Filter Subscription."  One visit to the site. One trip through the shopping cart, and "click", a new soon-to-be-happy customer for On Time Air Filters home delivery service.

I don't write every new customer, but I did write this one.  Jed, I said..."can you remember what made you aware of the fact that there existed an 'air filter subscription' service."  I mean, I wanted to know.  Was Jed at a great party over the holiday weekend, and someone started gabbing about the wonders of routine home air filter delivery? Could happen.

Jed being the decent sort wrote right back, and Jed...said:

"I think I heard of it somewhere as a blurb or online, but I honestly don't remember -- but wherever it was it stuck.  If I come across it again I'll let you know for certain.  The model makes so much sense it's silly not to sign up."

Did you catch that?  "Silly not to sign up!" Naturally, we now love the real Jed and Jeds everywhere who are starting to hear the buzz about on time air filter subscription and delivery services like ours.

It's a whisper, but increasingly based on our analytics, becoming an audible patter.  We'll be patient, continue providing great service, getting the word out, and hoping for louder yelps sometime soon.

Filed under: Sue Heilbronner • HVAC • Advertising & Marketing • Air Filters • air filter delivery • air filter subscription

 Maybe it should have been obvious, but it turns out pine trees are extremely proficient pollen delivery systems.  The new On Time Air Filters founders home is smack in the middle of acres, and acres of pine trees.  This is no joking matter.  We arrived in the middle of June, and found a quarter-inch layer of yellow powder atop every exterior flat spot around the house.  Yellow clouds were everywhere, and in this mountain home, the windows are open.  This left the same yellow designer touch everywhere inside. 

Neither Mark nor I suffers typically from allergies, but it was hard to get a sneeze-free series of breath in under these conditions.  What was our first thought? That's right.  Better check the hvac air filter in our rental home.  Our landlords were good enough to treat us to a merv 8 air filter.  But, no surprise, it too was adorned in a healthy yellowy crust.  

We didn't waste any time in changing our air filter.  The next 4 days also brought four unbroken days of rain, apparently completely unheard of in this summer paradise.  The new filter and this natural cleansing rain have minimized airborne particles in the house, and we and our dog are breathing easier.  

Surrounded by profuse amounts of pine trees.  There is no better reason to start your air filter delivery service with OTAF today.

Filed under: Sue Heilbronner • Airborne allergies • Colorado • Air Filters

We arrived in Boulder unscathed on Sunday, June 6.  Daisy appears to be fully recovered from the trauma of 1,800 miles in an Xterra.  She even seems unaffected by her jaunt into the wet, smelly schmootz beside our hotel in Lincoln, NE.  She stank up the car all the way to Boulder and paid for her decision with a bath at Whole Pets as soon as we got into town.  Now she's happy as a clam pointing the prairie dogs that squawk at her just outside the dog park fence.

Our new OTAF office in Boulder is already up and running.  So, place your orders, folks!  Stop agonizing over air filters...let us do that for you.  It's our job and, frankly, we're pretty darn good at it.

Filed under: Mark Leffers • OTAF Dog Daisy • Digression • Air Filters • Colorado • Founders' Random Adventures

Very cool call with B from Austin a few nights ago.  Been so busy adding filters to the site, haven't had time to give proper props.  B is a big fan of carbon filters...she's on the warpath against a variety of office machine odors eminating from her home office.  We talked for a good half hour about filter sizes, MERV ratings and other fun air filtration stuff.  She loved that we can help her out with a carbon activated Air Bear whole house filter.  I'm pretty pleased, too.  But, her biggest surprise?  Our pricing.  Full price for the first filter in each shipment and each additional filter in that shipment is 60% off.  AND...she doesn't even have to remember to reorder.  We take care of that for her automatically.

Oh, and Austin?  Ground zero for allergies and our biggest customer.  Love ya.

Filed under: Mark Leffers • MERV • HVAC • Air Filters • Whole House Air Filters

We've added many of the very clever Honeywell model FC04R filters to our site.  The FC04R filter is a grill-type filter that fits into your air return, not in the slot by your HVAC air handler.  This is a 5-inch deep filter with a 1" lip around the top edge.  The lip catches the return edges while the rest of the filter, with its slightly small dimensions, slides into the return air duct.  This design increases the media area exposed to air flow and provides greater capture and hold capacity.   Check out complete descriptions, images and pricing on our Honeywell air filter page.

Filed under: Mark Leffers • MERV • HVAC • Air Filters • Air Filter Sizes • Whole House Air Filters

We've added Air Bear whole house air cleaner filters to the site.  Check the pull down menu on Step 1.  Check out the complete list of Air Bear whole house air cleaner filters.

We're adding more every day!  Call us if you don't see yours - 800-247-0566 or email me at mark@ontimeairfilters.com

Filed under: Mark Leffers • MERV • HVAC • Air Filters • Air Filter Sizes • Whole House Air Filters