HVAC, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning, is how your home stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When properly installed and maintained, you and your family get to enjoy reasonable indoor temperatures all year long. Keep reading this article for advice on installation, upgrades, maintenance and repairs of your home HVAC system.

If you want to keep your air conditioning unit running efficiently, make sure you replace or clean the air filter once a month. Check the owner's manual on the a/c for instructions on how to clean the filter. Never run the unit when the filter is removed and let the filter dry before reinstallling it.

Be sure to get every quote or estimate in written form. You have no recourse on a verbal agreement, so a written contract is a must. This will allow you to follow up if something goes wrong or you don't get what you were promised, protecting you from shady contractors.

Let your friends and family know about the discounts that are possible via ENERGY STAR. There's a lot of savings that can be had here, so why hold this good news all to yourself! You can save those closest to you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.

When you have an outdoor unit, be sure to keep all plants, flowers, shrubs and trees at least two feet from it. Anything that grows inside it, either above the ground or even roots beneath the soil, can block it up and cause it to break. Give it some breathing room.

Outdoor condenser units need to be cleaned regularly. Particularly after bad weather, you should inspect your unit. Overheating can occur, which often spells disaster for your system.

Manage the heat flow into your home with window coverings to help out your HVAC system. In the warmer months, use drapes, curtains and blinds to block out sunward facing windows to keep heat from building up through the greenhouse effect. Alternatively, make sure that sunlit windows are letting light and warmth in during the colder months.

In the winter, wearing layers can save you a ton of money on your utility bill. If you can install a digital thermostat that makes the house cooler when you're asleep and warmer just before you get up, you can see significant savings on your next bill when it arrives.

Outer coils can be cleaned with a regular outdoor hose before you turn the unit on for the season. That said, interior coils should be taken care of by a professional so that you don't do any damage as you attempt to clean them. Bring someone in to complete a check up.

If you need recommendations for an HVAC contractor, check online. There are different sites that let customers share experiences of different services. This will be an excellent way to locate people you should work with and people that may not work well with you.

Find out how many years an HVAC company has been in business before you hire them. It is more likely that a contractor who has been in business for a longer time will give you better value for your money. New companies are just too risky.

Consider painting the outside of your home in a light color to reflect heat if you live in a hot climate. If your summers are cool, use a dark color to instead heat up your home in the winter. This simple change can end up saving you a lot on your utility bills.

To reduce the air conditioning's energy cost, close drapes, blinds and shades that cover windows which face the sun. Also, white shades will reflect the heat away from the house, keeping it cooler and saving you money. It is also recommended that you close the vents in rooms that are not used often. This will ensure that you are not spending money cooling less-used rooms.


Consider an annual service agreement for technicians to regularly inspect your AC unit. Schedule brief inspections for the winter to make sure nothing is obviously wrong. The most important time for an inspection and service is just before it starts getting warm. You don't want to discover an AC breakdown when you need it working most.

If your home gets hot in the summer and you'd like to use your air conditioner less often, consider a metal roof. It reflects the heat right back up into the sky, allowing your home to gain less heat on sunny days. Since metal roofs are permanent, you'll save on repair and replacement costs also.

When looking for an HVAC company, find one that is available when you need them. air conditioner cover sacramento, ca can be reached easily at any time. This includes both day and night. A prospective company should also values your resources and time. They should be able to schedule service calls at your earliest convenience.

If you're hiring a contractor, get references. Talk to those references to find out if they were pleased with the service they received. You can find out whether the company and their employees are honest and good workers this way.

If you hear clicking noises from your condenser fan, make sure that it is not striking something inside the unit. If it is not hitting something, it may be bent. Do not try to straighten the blades. This could cause it to become unbalanced. Simply replace the blade to ensure proper rotation.

Get bids from several companies before deciding who you are going to hire to install or repair your HVAC system. Most people know to avoid the company that has the highest quote, but you should also stay away from the one with the lowest. electric furnace repair may be lower due to shoddy workmanship an/or using low-quality equipment.

When buying an HVAC system from a contractor, don't just purchase from the first person you find. Do a little investigating first. Make sure try this has been in business for a while. Although there are no guarantees, someone who has been around for 10+ years probably had to do something right to stay in the business.

As stated in the above article, if you want to have a quality long-lasting HVAC system then you need to know important tips about the upkeep of them. It really pays to understand what problems can occur, and what to look that could potentially be a future problem. Now that you have these good tips to follow, you should be an expert on the subject of HVAC systems!

The HVAC system in your home is a component to having a nice living space. If it's too hot or cold, or you having no air blowing at all, the only thing that follows is misery. You know how expensive it is to fix, so it is vital that you prevent these things from occurring. Below there are many good tips to help you keep up with proper HVAC maintenance.

Although most people are thinking of their heating systems during the winter months, air conditioning is also important. When installing a new furnace or heating system, make sure the air ducts are also set up to work with your air condition system. Using the ducts for both heating and cooling is the most economical choice.


Do not be surprised if the HVAC contractor you choose does an evaluation on your home. Any good contractor will spend time looking at the system you currently have and what the needs are for your home. They will also take a look at your duct system and look for air leaks.

When your contractor comes to fix your unit or install a new one, he should walk around your home and investigate what's going on with your current set-up. They should be looking for how much insulation you have, where your windows are and what quality they are and more.

In order to avoid having any problems with your air conditioning unit, keep all vegetation at least two feet away from the outdoor unit. The unit should be clear of any vegetation on all sides and above. When you mow the lawn, aim the grass clippings away from the a/c unit. This will prevent grass getting inside the a/c and making it malfunction.

If at all possible, install double-paned windows in your home instead of those with a single pane. Try to insulate your windows to prevent air from being lost. As with https://en.gravatar.com/toprankinc take to improve your ability to keep your air conditioned air or heated air inside your home, double-paned windows can help you save on energy costs.

Having a programmable thermostat installed is a money saving idea. This will help you to keep the temperature at optimal levels. Take advantage of the convenience of the ability to control many programable thermostats from your favorite electronic device.

Before you get into the hot summer months, make sure to schedule a tune up for your current HVAC system. This is very important to keep issues from popping up with your system. It's a small cost to pay compared to the large bills to fix issues that could arise.

Make sure that the HVAC contractor you plan to hire does not use subcontractors to do their work. Many people use this as an excuse to shirk their responsibility in the event that something goes wrong when your system is being worked on. Only allow this if there is a note in the contract about what will happen if there is an issue.

Looking for an efficient way to cool your home? Consider installing a whole-house evaporative cooler. They use water to cool air instead of traditional chemical coolants, using a ton less energy to cool your home than those other units. That said, they do work best in dry climates and not at all in humid ones.

You should always review the experience and history of an HVAC specialist before hiring them. Firms that have been in business for a long time are easier to assess. It's a risk to hire a new one.

Do not close your vents. Keep air vents open and unblocked at all times. Many people believe that closing off a vent will save them money on cooling costs. This is not true. It can actually damage your HVAC system. Closing vents can cause your cooling coil to freeze and damage the compressor.

Have your HVAC inspected every year to ensure that it is working properly. The technician will check your filters, drain lines, air flow and Freon levels. This will have your HVAC working at peak performance saving you money all season long. It will also alert you to any repairs that need to be address before they become big problems.

If you want to buy a new HVAC unit or system, ask a contractor to come up to size up your home and tell you what options you have. They'll have the best advice as they know what sort of systems work in your area or in a home like yours.

Is your home's electrical set-up ready to handle a new air conditioning unit? Most homes have 115-volt circuits in place, but larger air conditioners need 230-volts to be used. Some smaller units may need their own dedicated circuit as well to ensure your home doesn't go dark when you turn them on.

Find a HVAC company that knows its stuff. The best companies out there have technicians that keep a schedule and their appointments too. They should quickly know what's wrong with your system as well. Once they know what's wrong, they should also know how to get them resolved efficiently and quickly.

Keeping your HVAC system in good working order is very important to your home's environment. When it goes bad, it can make living at your house a nightmare. Thanfully, the tips from above provided you with excellent tips to keep your HVAC system lasting a very long time. Refer back to them from time to time to ensure that it does not go bad on you.

In order to maintain a happy home, the last thing you want is for your HVAC system to go bad. Just thinking of it going bad on the hottest day of the year is enough to give your nightmares. It seems like this is when these systems decide to go bad. This can be prevented with good solid prevention tips that anyone can follow. Keep reading https://goo.gl/4H3XDZ .

Ask for referrals when hiring someone to install your HVAC system. Someone may seem like they know what they are doing, but you cannot simply take their word for it. https://plus.google.com/u/6/111173114481917272043 should be able to call past customers to get an idea of what to expect from this particular installer.

Look for deals and rebates on the HVAC system you are having installed. Many ENERGY STAR units come with huge rebates either from your local utility company or the government itself. Investigate your options as it could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the installation costs.

To save money on your HVAC system, turn the air conditioning down at night and let your home warm up a bit. To keep yourself cool, use a chilling water-filled pillow to cool down your head and your whole body as a result. This combined with a fan will keep you from overheating while saving on your utility bills.


If your evaporator coil, found inside your home, becomes dirty, your unit will lose efficiency. Just pop off the front panel of the furnace and check to see that the coil is dry. Using a brush attachment on a vacuum, gently clean the coil of any dust or other debris.

If you want to seriously extend the life of your HVAC system, as well as cut down your overall power bill, install ceiling fans in commonly used warm season rooms. Energy-star certified ceiling fans can sometimes cut your HVAC use in half. However, you won't physically notice a difference in temperature.