Spring is finally here, which means you might start noticing more allergens in your home and outside. With summer right around the corner, it’s important to get organized as far as spring cleaning and maintenance is concerned, especially when it comes to your home’s cooling and heating system. Before we talk about how to prep your home for extended periods away, here are a few reasons to put your home’s air conditioning system at the top of your spring cleaning list:
Hidden Allergens in Your Home
What you can’t see can hurt you. Mold, dust and other airborne materials and contaminants like to hide out in your system and settle on your system’s coils and collect in the air ducts. It’s important to schedule regular HVAC maintenance that can help reduce the amount of allergens in your home, as well as cleaning your air filters and checking your indoor air quality.
Hidden Costs
Dirt on your coils – both inside and out – can represent as much as 30% of a cooling bill. Blockages and leaks in your ducts can add 20% or more to your energy usage. Low refrigerant may result in another 20% increase in energy bills.
Be Prepared
It may seem like the heat of summer is down the road a bit, but it won’t be long before you need your cooling system to provide round-the-clock comfort. Maintaining your system and addressing A/C repair issues before they become critical is key.
Once spring cleaning is scratched from your list, you can turn to preparing your home for an extended absence, whether that is a family vacation or relocation to a second home for the season. Your to-do list will include cleaning out the refrigerator, making arrangements for care of plants and letting neighbors and local law enforcement agencies know you are leaving. It will also include:
- Unplug small appliances such as televisions, microwaves, etc.
- Make sure smoke detectors and security systems are in good working condition
- Turn off water at the main shutoff valve and have friends or neighbors turn on water and run faucets and flush toilets once a month.
- It makes no sense to keep the house cool when no one’s there. One option is to turn up the thermostat to 80-85 degrees. Every degree you turn up your thermostat can save as much as 2% on your cooling costs. Another option is to install a WiFi thermostat that can be controlled remotely by you.
Call Climate Control Company
Of course, keeping your cooling system maintained with regular tune-ups is also a must. Call Climate Control today to schedule service/maintenance or to learn more about WiFi thermostat installation, hidden allergens in your home, and our other spring checklist items.
