Spring is a season during which many people like to get a fresh start with their homes. The long winter is finally over, and it’s a good time to perform any cleaning, upgrades or improvements that will make your home more comfortable, livable and efficient. One great way to do that is to make adjustments to your home that’ll make it easy for your heating and cooling system to operate at optimum levels. Keep reading to pick up a few spring home maintenance tips that are sure to improve your heating and cooling systems’ performance!
Schedule a Heating and/or Cooling System Tune-Up
The best thing you can do to ensure your systems work great whenever called upon is to schedule a tune-up. During this tune-up, you can have any problems that have developed since your previous inspection fixed to bring your system back up to its peak performance and efficiency levels. This is the best way to avoid breakdowns at the most inopportune time and keep your heating and cooling bills low.
Stock Up on Air Filters for Your HVAC System
It is recommended that you check and/or change your air filter every single month (unless you purchase the extended service cycle filters). By stocking up on filters now, you won’t be tempted to procrastinate on changing your filter because you won’t have to make a special trip to the store to buy a new one.
Replace Batteries In Your Smoke Alarms and CO Detectors
Spring and fall are the two seasons when you should change the batteries in your smoke alarms and CO detectors. This will help to ensure that those units will go off in the event that your heating or cooling system begins operating in an unsafe manner.
Put Drapes or Curtains on Exposed Windows
The sun is a significant source of heat gain in your home, especially if you have uncovered windows that are direct recipients of its rays. By installing drapes or curtains on windows that receive a lot of sunlight, you can block out some of that heat gain and ease the load on your air conditioner. In the event of a surprise spring cold snap, you can easily open your new drapes or curtains to allow this same sunlight to help you warm your home and lessen the load placed on your heating system.
Seal Air Leaks Around Doors and Windows
Some homeowners think it’s only important to seal windows and doors during the cold winter months; however, that’s not totally true! Air leaks, regardless of the time of year, are a huge money waster. During the cooling season, they allow cool conditioned air to seep outside the building envelope and warm air from outside to seep inside. By sealing up your doors and windows with caulk and weatherstripping, you can keep your home more comfortable and lower your heating and cooling bills year round.
Change Sealing Fan Direction
If you changed the direction of your ceiling fans for winter, now is the time to change them back, as they can produce a wind-chill effect that makes a room feel cooler, which allows you to raise your thermostat setting in order to save some energy.
If you have any questions about these spring home maintenance tips, or if you’d like to use some of that tax return you just received to have a new system installed in your home before next fall rolls around, contact Northeastern Fireplace & Design. We have the largest showroom in the area and the most knowledgeable and friendly staff around! Convenient to Columbia, Albany, Hudson and Greene counties, we are upstate New York’s best hearth shop!