Owner of Professional Heating & Air | HVAC Contractor and Louisiana Mechanical License Holder
Professional Overview
James Barras is the owner of Professional Heating & Air and has more than 20 years of HVAC experience. His background includes field work, formal HVAC education, apprenticeship training, federal facility experience, and 15 years building Professional Heating & Air. He leads the Hammond-based company with a focus on developing its people, improving service quality, and creating a positive workplace. His goal is continuous improvement that produces strong system service, a better customer experience, and long-term value for homeowners.
Quick Facts
Name: James Barras Title: Owner of Professional Heating & Air Experience: More than 20 years in HVAC; 15 years with Professional Heating & Air Location and service areas: Hammond, Louisiana and Mandeville, Louisiana Areas of focus: HVAC service, technician development, continuous company improvement, and delivering an exceptional experience for team members and customers
Experience & Leadership
James Barras began his HVAC career through an apprenticeship program after deciding to pursue a skilled trade that offered both technical challenges and the opportunity to eventually build a business. Over more than two decades in the industry, his experience has included working for two HVAC companies and serving as an HVAC technician for the federal government at a research building in New Orleans.
After gaining field experience and completing an HVAC degree through Delgado, James returned to Louisiana’s Northshore and started his own HVAC business from a garage in Ponchatoula. Over the following 15 years, he developed the business into Professional Heating & Air, serving customers in the Hammond and Mandeville areas.
As the owner of Professional Heating & Air, James focuses on improving how the business operates, developing the people within it, and creating a workplace where employees can succeed in a positive environment. The company’s stated mission is to empower its people to produce exceptional results through an elite company.
His leadership philosophy shapes both the company’s internal culture and its approach to customer service. He emphasizes continuous improvement, professionalism, strong team performance, and providing the best experience possible for employees and customers.
Technical Expertise
HVAC systems and service
Louisiana mechanical contracting
HVAC technician field experience
Apprenticeship-based HVAC trade training
HVAC work in a federal research-building environment
HVAC company operations and service delivery
HVAC workforce development and technician growth
Customer experience within an HVAC service business
Licenses & Certifications
Louisiana State Mechanical License: #57241
HVAC Degree: Delgado, New Orleans
Editorial Standards & Disclosures
Content attributed to James Barras draws on his real-world HVAC experience and professional industry knowledge. His author content is created with accuracy and homeowner clarity in mind, is subject to editorial oversight, and may be updated periodically as industry practices or company information change. Editorial Policy
Owning a ductless system certainly comes with its benefits—it’s efficient, effective, doesn’t take up very much space, and can provide year-round comfort with just the flip of a switch. But no matter how great your system is, eventually, it is going to require repairs. Do not fret though—having a team of experts to service your air conditioning in Hammond, LA can make all the difference.
There are quite a few ductless repairs that we think you should be aware of, so below, we have listed some of them for you. All you have to do is keep reading to learn more (and remember to contact our team if you’ve got a faulty ductless system on your hands!)
Be honest: how often do you change your air conditioning’s air filter? Once a year? Does your HVAC technician do it for you? Do you even know what the air filter does or why it’s important to change it?
Don’t feel too bad if you find yourself unable to answer these questions — many homeowners don’t quite know when to change out their air filters and why it’s so important. So below, we have provided the answer to these questions for you. All you have to do is keep reading to find out more!
Summer is coming, which means that before you know it, you’ll be enjoying all of your favorite summertime things: swimming, ice cream, barbeques, beaches, air conditioner… wait, did someone say air conditioner? How can someone possibly get excited about an air conditioner?!
Well, it’s quite easy to get excited about your air conditioner when it runs efficiently and effectively all summer long! But in order to ensure that your AC is energy efficient, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, you need to contact a professional AC technician and secondly, you need to keep reading this blog!
“Routine maintenance” are the two words that will save your
air conditioner’s life. And we really want to place emphasis on the word “routine.”
Only getting maintenance once every few years is certainly more helpful than
none at all, but you’d still be sabotaging your air conditioner’s potential.
Maintenance can only help your air conditioner for a limited time before the machine naturally begins to wear down again. We know that many homeowners avoid it because they don’t like the idea of spending money, but we can assure you that neglecting maintenance will actually cost more in the long run (and we’re not just saying that because we’re an HVAC company in Ponchatoula, LA). Routine maintenance always makes sense, and here’s why: check out how routine AC maintenance helps homeowners for a deeper understanding.
Owning a whole-house generator requires planning for preparedness. As such, you’ll need to take your generator’s fuel type into consideration as part of your preparations. Each fuel type has its own benefits and drawbacks; some of them might be hindrance to your plans while others could be an advantage.
Plus, if your generator needs repair, you’ll want to understand all of the risks associated with its fuel type. For example, diesel is actually one of the least flammable fuel sources, while a fuel like natural gas can be dangerous if the gas lines become compromised.
What is the best fuel type for a whole house generator?
The best fuel type for a whole house generator depends on your home’s fuel access, backup power needs, and storage preferences. Natural gas is often the most convenient if gas lines are available, propane offers long shelf life and cleaner operation, and diesel is efficient for heavy, long-term use.
In the meantime, we’ll tell you about some of the most common
fuel types used with generators:
Air conditioner are designed to blow air. There’s nothing
very difficult about understanding that.
But if an air conditioner suddenly stops blowing air—or if
the airflow is severely reduced—then it can be much more difficult to
interpret.
Unless you have an expert of air conditioning repair in Hammond, LAdrive down to investigate the system, the cause for your airflow issues are as good as any guess.
If that guess were up to us, however, we assume it could possibly
be due to one of the following issues:
Nothing feels better than a cool air
conditioner on a warm day… Unless that air conditioner is also spewing dust and
contaminants. Your skin might feel cool, but dirty or smelly air really spoils
the overall comfort! Especially if that air has a chance of making you ill, or triggering
your allergy or asthma symptoms.
If your AC ever lowers your air quality, it’s
probably going to be for one of these reasons:
When you think of HVAC services, you
probably think of nothing more than heating and air conditioning. Actually, just
about everything involving the air inside your home is something that can be
improved by an HVAC technician. Specifically, we’re talking about the quality
of your indoor air.
While controlling warm and cool air is great, it turns out that a large part of “comfort” can be helped by improving indoor air quality. Here are a few ways that can be done:
Ever year that our air conditioner runs, it loses a bit of its original operational efficiency. While we’d love to tell you that there’s an AC out there that always runs at 100%, it’s just not possible.
Instead, your next best option is to care for it regularly so that it can last for several years. What that means, exactly, can depend on where your system is during its lifespan, as well as your current situation in the home.
Spring is the perfect time to evaluate your HVAC system for any such services, so let us explain with some examples:
A modern-day heating system is going to last you between 15 and 20 years. That’s an awfully long time in comparison to gadgets like our phones and computers, which we trade in after only a few years. Your heating system is practically a family member at that point!
Luckily, your heating system is not a family member, because it’s very easy to lose all that sentimentality when you realize just how much your aging heater may be costing you. So instead of begrudgingly counting down the days that you have to buy a new heater, we can give you some reasons why you should get excited about it.
A modern-day heating system is going to last you between 15 and 20 years. That’s an awfully long time in comparison to gadgets like our phones and computers, which we trade in after only a few years. Your heating system is practically a family member at that point!