After the Denver Metro's Hottest July on Record, Founders Village's Original Furnaces Face Their First Real Test
Sep 20, 2026
Alpha Air Heating & Cooling warns that the blower motors which ran nearly nonstop through 28 days of 90-degree heat are the same ones about to fire up furnaces built in the late 1990s, with a record El Niño forecast to peak before the holidays.
Castle Rock, Colorado Sep 19, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - The summer that just ended was historic, and Alpha Air Heating & Cooling, a technician-owned residential HVAC company serving Castle Rock and Douglas County, is warning that the strain it put on home cooling systems does not end when the air conditioning shuts off. In neighborhoods like Founders Village, where much of the housing stock dates to the late 1990s and early 2000s, the company says the furnaces about to start up for the season are original equipment that just endured its hardest summer, and that had an unusually easy winter the year before.
The numbers were not close. July 2026 was the second-hottest July in Denver history and set a new record for the most 90-degree days, with 28 out of 31, beating the prior record of 27. Statewide, it was Colorado's second-hottest July in 132 years of record-keeping, and the Denver metro area recorded its hottest July ever. Castle Rock moved to Stage 2 drought restrictions in late July as the heat and dry conditions persisted.
For a split HVAC system, the summer and the winter share a critical part. The blower motor inside the furnace cabinet is what moves air for both the air conditioner and the furnace. Through July and August, that motor ran for hours at a stretch, day after day, on equipment that in many Founders Village homes is 22 to 29 years old. The furnace side of that same cabinet has not run since spring.
"People think of their AC and their furnace as two separate machines, but the blower that ran itself ragged all summer is the one your furnace depends on in October," said Kyle Myers, owner and lead technician at Alpha Air Heating & Cooling. "In a house built in 1999 with the original furnace, that motor has now been through more 90-degree days in one summer than it was ever designed to see. The furnace start-up is where that catches up with you. And last winter was the warmest on record in Colorado, so these systems didn't get tested then either. This fall is the first real test in two years."
Winter 2025-2026 was the warmest ever recorded in Colorado, with December through February running well above the 20th-century average. That mild winter allowed aging furnaces to coast through a season that would normally expose weak igniters, worn heat exchangers, and failing blower motors.
This winter is forecast to be different, at least in timing. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center reports El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90 percent chance of a very strong event this fall and winter, and its September update puts a 75% chance on this being the strongest El Niño since records began in 1950, peaking in the October-to-December window. Colorado forecasters caution that the state's winter remains hard to predict even in strong El Niño years. But on the Front Range, past El Niño winters have tended to bring a few large upslope snowstorms rather than steady cold, and those storms have historically been weighted toward fall and spring. The practical implication for homeowners is that the first hard demand on a furnace may come in October or November rather than January.
Alpha Air recommends that homeowners with furnaces in the 20-year-and-older range schedule an inspection before the first sustained cold rather than waiting for the system to fail. A pre-season inspection checks the blower motor and capacitor, the igniter, the flame sensor, and the heat exchanger. Heat exchanger cracks are the most serious concern in older furnaces, since they can allow carbon monoxide into the home's air supply, and they are more likely in equipment that has cycled through decades of heating and cooling stress.
The company adds one supporting consideration for homeowners already weighing repair against replacement on the cooling side. Under the federal AIM Act, manufacturers stopped producing new residential HVAC equipment that uses R-410A refrigerant as of January 1, 2025. Existing R-410A systems can still be serviced, but refrigerant costs have been rising as supply tightens. For a household with a 25-year-old furnace paired with an aging R-410A air conditioner, the two decisions often make more sense evaluated together.
"I'm not telling anyone to replace a furnace that's working," Myers said. "I'm telling them that a furnace built before 2001 that just survived the hottest summer on record deserves a look before the first snow. If it's fine, you've spent an hour and you know. If it's not, you found out in September instead of in a cold house in November."
Alpha Air Heating & Cooling was established in 2022 by Myers after nearly a decade in the trade. He holds NATE certifications in gas heating service and installation and air conditioning service and installation, universal EPA certification, and an F-29 master mechanical license. The company provides furnace repair and installation, air conditioning repair and installation, and ductless mini-split services across Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Parker, and Lone Tree.
Douglas County homeowners who want a pre-season furnace inspection or have questions about an aging system can contact Alpha Air Heating & Cooling at (720) 284-9566 or visit alphaairco.com.
About Alpha Air Heating & Cooling
Alpha Air Heating & Cooling is a technician-owned residential heating and cooling company serving Castle Rock and surrounding Douglas County communities. Founded in 2022, the company provides furnace and air conditioning repair and installation along with ductless mini-split services.
Contact:
Alpha Air Heating & Cooling
Castle Rock, CO
(720) 284-9566
https://alphaairco.com/
Media Contact
Alpha Air Heating & Cooling
(720) 284-9566
298 Benton St, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Source :Alpha Air Heating & Cooling
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
Trump claims neither he nor Musk caused Ukraine Starlink outage
President Trump claimed on Friday that neither he nor SpaceX founder Elon Musk caused Ukraine’s Starlink outage earlier this week as the president clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries. “I didn’t do that. No, we didn’t do that at all. In fact, I don’t even think it was...
18 reasons to get the new iPhone Duo with Smart Postpaid
A foldable design, a larger display when you need it, and the flexibility of the iPhone experience – all in one device. Apple’s much-anticipated iPhone Duo introduces a new way to experience iPhone, and Smart makes it easier for you to own it with Smart Postpaid Plans+ 1999 starting at P6,304 per month, with zero-interest
Musk settles election lottery lawsuits over $1 million voter giveaways
Tech mogul Elon Musk agreed to settle two lawsuits over his $1 million check handouts to battleground voters in the 2024 election, according to court filings published Thursday. The suits, filed in the Western District of Texas, accused the Tesla and SpaceX CEO of defrauding voters when his America PAC offered a $1 million giveaway...
AI safety group pushes for tighter export controls, limits on 'vastly superhuman AI'
A conservative AI safety group is calling for the U.S. to implement tighter restrictions on advanced chip sales to China and limit the development of “vastly superhuman AI” as part of a new framework for AI policy. Humans First, chaired by former Tea Party leader Amy Kremer, laid out what it described as an “America...
Warsh offers no fresh signals on interest rates
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh declined Friday to predict central bank officials’ future course on interest rates, less than two weeks before they meet to discuss monetary policy. “I don’t prejudge meetings. I don’t believe in saying now what I might do at the meetings that we have in the balance of this year,” Warsh...
'AI artists' perform improvised music at Jarasum Jazz Festival
Artificial intelligence (AI) models developed by a research team led by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) professor Nam Ju-han made their debut at one of Korea’s leading jazz festivals, performing improvised jazz alongside human artists. According to the university Friday, the team showcased human-AI music collaboration technology that analyzes the flow of human performances in real time, allowing AI to take over performances or generate improvised accompaniment during the 23rd Jarasum Jazz Festival, held in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 9 to 11. A total of 12 human jazz artists participated in the event, collaborating with AI in 26 pieces across 12 performances. The technology is different from existing music AI services as it enables collaboration with human musicians in jazz, a genre characterized by improvisation. Jazz musicians often change the tempo or create new melodies based on how they feel in the moment. Because the same piece can be performed differently each time, musicians must listen to one another and adjust their playing accordi
Why do some Samsung employees cheer company's stock plunge?
Some Samsung Electronics employees have drawn criticism from online users after appearing to welcome a nearly 9 percent plunge in their company's share price on an anonymous workplace community. Posts written by Samsung Electronics employees on the company's board on Blind, an anonymous community for office workers, spread across online communities and social media Thursday. Blind requires users to verify their employment through their company email addresses, and displays the name of their employer alongside their usernames. According to the Korea Exchange, Samsung Electronics closed Thursday's regular trading at 210,000 won ($147), down 9.48 percent, or 22,000 won, from the previous session. One person believed to be a Samsung Electronics employee posted on Blind under the title, "Please let the stock plunge to 100,000 won." Another employee wrote a post titled, "Isn't a falling stock price actually better for Samsung Electronics employees?" The employee said, "From the Device Solutions (DS) division's perspective, a higher stock price only increases the risk associated with OPI2," ref
Michael Jordan's Steak House named Korea's best hotel restaurant
Michael Jordan’s Steak House, the only location of the U.S. restaurant brand outside the United States, has been named “Korea’s Best Hotel Restaurant 2026” at the World Culinary Awards. INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in Incheon, which houses the restaurant, said Friday that the steakhouse received the award at a ceremony held Wednesday in Jamaica. The awards recognize outstanding restaurants and culinary destinations through votes cast by industry professionals, experts and consumers. The event is a sister event of the World Travel Awards, described as the “Oscars of the travel industry.” The restaurant opened in Incheon in 2023 as the brand’s first and only location outside the U.S., bringing a selection of steaks that had proved popular in its home market. Cornerstone Restaurant Group oversees the brand in partnership with basketball legend Michael Jordan, with two U.S. locations in Chicago and Connecticut. The Incheon restaurant also received a Best of Award of Excellence in June from Wine Spectator, a U.S. wine publication, as part of its annual Restaurant Awards. “This
Chaevi wins all 4 government EV charging subsidy categories
Electric vehicle (EV) charging operator Chaevi has achieved a rare clean sweep in this year's government EV charging facility subsidy program, securing qualifications across all four categories in both network operation and hardware manufacturing. The company was selected as an operator and manufacturer of fast, medium-speed and slow charging facilities under a program overseen by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The selection marks Chaevi’s ninth consecutive year as a designated charging facility operator and its first selection in newly introduced manufacturer categories, according to the company. The four categories cover operators of fast and medium-speed chargers, operators of slow chargers, manufacturers of fast and medium-speed chargers, and manufacturers of slow chargers, allowing Chaevi to participate in the government’s subsidy program through 2027. The government revised its evaluation system this year to assess operators and manufacturers separately, with manufacturers facing additional scrutiny of technological development, product quality and charging pe
Hyosung Heavy Industries doubles export capacity with Changwon factory
Power transmission equipment manufacturer Hyosung Heavy Industries opened a new factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Friday, doubling its production capacity for extra-high-voltage circuit breakers rated at 420 kilovolts (kV) and above as it prepares for surging global demand for power infrastructure. The facility, covering about 18,996 square meters, will exclusively manufacture circuit breakers rated at 420 kV, 550 kV and 800 kV for export markets, strengthening the company's ability to fulfill large overseas orders. Hyosung Heavy Industries reorganized its existing circuit breaker operations to focus primarily on domestic models, while the new facility handles export products rated at 420 kV and above. The factory integrates component manufacturing, assembly, testing and shipping under one roof, creating a streamlined production system designed to improve efficiency and delivery times. Production capacity for insulation components, which are critical to circuit breaker performance, has also doubled, according to the company, which said it is the only domestic power equipmen
Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, 2 other products named to TIME's Best Inventions of 2026
Samsung Electronics said Friday that three of its products have been named to TIME magazine’s list of The Best Inventions of 2026. The U.S. weekly news magazine announced the list Thursday (local time). It picked the Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone in the Consumer Electronics category, the Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerator in Household and the Odyssey G8 gaming monitor in Entertainment & Gaming. TIME compiles the list each year from nominations by its editors and correspondents around the world. It rates new products and ideas on originality, efficacy, ambition and impact. The magazine called the Galaxy S26 Ultra “a privacy-focused smartphone,” citing its Privacy Display. The feature effectively blocks people from viewing the screen from the side. Users can choose when it turns on or apply it only to certain content, such as pop-up notifications. TIME said this makes it more flexible than conventional privacy screen protectors. The phone is the top model in the Galaxy S26 series, which was released in March. It has a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera and artificial intelligence (AI) fea
AMCHAM chief receives honorary doctorate from Korea Aerospace University
American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) Chairman James Kim received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Korea Aerospace University (KAU) on Thursday in recognition of his contributions to Korea-U.S. economic cooperation. The university recognized Kim for bringing businesses and policymakers from the two countries together to promote trade, investment and cooperation in advanced industries. It also cited his efforts to attract foreign investment to Korea and improve the business environment in the country, drawing on his experience leading global companies. A degree ceremony was held at Vision Hall in the university’s Aerospace Center following a commemorative tree-planting event. KAU President Hurr Hee-young delivered welcoming remarks, while Korean Air Executive Vice President Kenneth Chang offered congratulatory remarks. “It is a great honor to receive an honorary doctorate from a university that has been at the forefront of developing Korea’s aerospace and defense talent,” Kim said. Kim also praised KAU’s efforts to develop talent and strengthen ties
Where to preorder the iPhone Duo?
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.