Maintenance Tips for Home Heating and Air Conditioning
The next best thing to professional service?
DIY, Do It Yourself
There are many things you can do on your own to create a comfortable, healthy and safe home environment. And we have the tools to help you get started:
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Spring and Summer
General guidelines for keeping your home cool and efficient:
- Have a Service Experts professional inspect your home's ducts and cooling equipment.
- Clean or replace your AC filters every month.
- Clean chimney and check to see if your fireplace is working properly.
- Clean out rain gutters and storm drains.
- Clean and vacuum vents, baseboard heaters and ducts.
- Seal air leaks in the attic, basement and crawlspace, and also around windows and doors.
- Check your attic for proper insulation. (The U.S. Department of Energy suggests a value between R-22 and R-49.)
- Keep shades or curtains drawn on the sunny side of the house, especially during early- and mid-afternoon hours.
Extra steps you can take to save energy:
- Install a programmable thermostat, so you can preset temperatures for different times of the day.
- Replace single-pane windows with newer double-pane models, which help reflect the sun's rays and reduce energy loss.
- Apply a reflective coating to your roof. When replacing your roof, use light-colored shingles.
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents to create a cooler feeling and save lighting costs.
- Install awnings or plant trees outside your home to create shade.
Things you can do to improve air quality and reduce potential health risks:
- When adjusting clocks, change batteries in smoke alarms, as well as radon and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Consider a ventilation system to increase air circulation inside and add a healthy dose of fresh air.
- Clean water-damaged carpets and materials, or consider replacement.
- Reduce the potential for buildup of allergy-causing pollutants by keeping your house clean
- Take special precaution when operating fuel-burning appliances to avoid leakage.
- Store and dispose of household chemicals in a safe manner.
Fall and Winter
General guidelines for keeping your home warm and efficient:
- Have a Service Experts professional inspect your home's ducts and heating equipment.
- Set your thermostat to 68°F when you're at home and awake, and as low as 60°F when you're asleep or awake.
- Clean or replace furnace filters every month.
- Clean chimney and check to see if your fireplace is working properly.
- Seal air leaks in the attic, basement and crawlspace, and also around windows and doors.
- Insulate inside of windows with heavy-duty, clear plastic sheets.
- Check your attic for proper insulation. (The U.S. Department of Energy suggests a value between R-22 and R-49.)
- Close curtains or shades at night and keep them open during the day
- Clean windows on the south side of your house to maximize sunlight exposure.
- Weather-strip doors that lead to cold or outside areas.
- Wrap and insulate waterlines to prevent them from freezing.
- Repair leaky faucets.
Extra steps you can take to save energy:
- Install a programmable thermostat, so you can preset temperatures for different times of the day.
- Insulate the water tank and first six feet of hot and cold water pipes connected to the unit.
- Lower the temperature of your water heater to 120°F (for every 10-degree decrease in temperature, you may save 3% - 5% on your energy costs).
- Install rubber gaskets behind outlets and use switch plates on exterior walls.
- Install low-flow showerheads.
Things you can do to improve air quality and reduce potential health risks:
- When adjusting your clocks, change batteries in smoke alarms, as well as radon and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Consider a ventilation system to increase air circulation inside and add a healthy dose of fresh air.
- Clean water-damaged carpets and materials, or consider replacement.
- Reduce the potential for buildup of allergy-causing pollutants by keeping your house clean.
- Take special precaution when operating fuel-burning appliances to avoid leakage.
- Store and dispose of household chemicals in a safe manner.