The heat can be dangerous for people over 65, due to the heightened risk of them getting sick or dying when the temperature rises.
So, when the air conditioning at Elia and Guillermo Ybarra’s house went out two weeks ago, the older, low-income couple had concerns boiling about how to stay cool this summer.
“We’ve been here forever. My kids were raised here,” Elia Ybarra said at their home of more than 50 years on Lido Lane in northwest Harris County.
“There was no way we could afford it,” Elia Ybarra said.
Guillermo Ybarra is wheelchair bound and the couple relies on Social Security and SNAP benefits to get by, they said. They called their daughter out of town to help figure out a fix.
“Knowing that the AC unit was very old, we were afraid that it was the point of no repair,” their daughter Elda Arellano said.
Arellano tried to get ahold of Harris County’s Home Repair program and even filled out an application. She also reached out to HVAC companies to get bids.
The third bid came from Air Tech of Houston, a local business of nearly 40 years. She asked for several quotes and explained their financial circumstances.
“Rory said, ‘How about if it’s free?’ And she said, ‘You’re kidding’,” Elia Ybarra said.
Rory Ahrens, senior service technician for Air Tech of Houston, helped make it happen.
“We replaced their entire heating and air conditioning system and put a brand new system in,” he said.
The Ybarras’ old system couldn’t be repaired, he said, and the new system is estimated at $17,000. If well-maintained, it’s expected to last more than 15 years.
“We’re happy to be in this community and help out where we can,” Ahrens said.
It’s help that will be felt, keeping the Ybarras cool, for years to come.
“He’s been my guardian angel,” Elia Ybarra said.