FILTER, FILTER, FILTER. Find your furnace filter and change it! It should be changed monthly (well at least checked). If you have kids or pets, let’s face it they go hand and hand, you really need to change it more frequently. Many people think filters are only important in the winter, when actually they are MORE important to your air conditioner. Air movement needs to be on high speed, the air moving across the coil is what removes heat (yes removes heat) from your house. Without proper air flow your system cannot run efficiently and you run the risk of icing up your coil, over working your blower, or worse. What good is it to have the best system money can buy only to be destroyed by a dirty filter? Clean filters mean clean ductwork and clean evaporator coil. Getting the cold air your equipment just made into your living space making you more comfortable.

A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT is a great piece of equipment to have installed to keep your home state of the art. You can keep your house a few degrees warmer when you are not at home and have it cooled down before you arrive saving you money. Either using the energy star program preinstalled on your device, setting your own program or use one that is wi-fi capable so you can control it remotely. How nice would it be to leave on vacation saving money while you're gone, but come home to all of the comfort you deserve. Keeping your thermostat fan set to continuous operation will help you feel cooler in the summer. Running the fan on your furnace will help keep your home at a more consistent temperature by eliminating the “dead spots”, and by recirculating the cool air in the basement and replacing the warmer air upstairs.

OPEN YOUR REGISTERS! Move that furniture away from cold air returns in the wall and supply registers in the floor. Your system was designed to move air, blocking the airflow harms your system and you risk icing up your coil. You are spending money to cool the air, make sure your equipment and move the cold air into your living space. Use air deflectors to help move the air if furniture cannot be moved.

CHECK YOUR OUTDOOR UNIT. Is it blocked by a new deck, overgrown trees and bushes, covered in cotton from trees, or other leaves? Keep items at least two feet away. Is it dirty or damaged by hail? All of these things loose efficiency. Have it cleaned, comb the fins out, move stuff out of the way. Do you cover your unit in the off season? If you do it will help keep your unit clean. Please remember to turn the power off to the unit at the breaker while it is covered to prevent the unit from accidentally running. Running an air conditioning unit while covered will destroy your compressor.

AIR FLOW: If you notice the airflow from your registers feels weak, check the copper lines outside and the ones leading to your furnace for ice build up. If you see any ice turn off the air conditioner, run the fan on continuous, and call a professional to find out what is wrong. Never run the air conditioner when ice has formed, doing so will damage your equipment, and cause premature failure.