New year’s resolutions often involve fitness, nutrition, exciting life experiences, and learning new skills. Usually, they don’t involve home heating and cooling. Even so, it’s vital to have a residential heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system that’s sanitary and in good working order. Otherwise, the safety and comfort of everyone in your home could be in jeopardy. With that in mind, here are some important HVAC tasks that you could complete in 2023.
Create an HVAC Cleaning Routine
Of course, dust, dirt, and grime are natural parts of life. And, unfortunately, dust and other particles can collect inside vents, making your air less healthful and your heating and air-conditioning less efficient. For that reason, vent cleaning ought to be part of your home cleaning regimen.
Also, don’t forget to clean your outdoor HVAC equipment on occasion. Airborne pollutants, insect nests, weeds, leaves, branches, and other materials can clog these devices. Eventually, they might stop working altogether. For their part, your ducts only need to be cleaned once every three to five years. However, it’s an important assignment. All kinds of substances can gather inside ducts.
Keep Replacing Your Air Filters
It’s easy to neglect your home’s air filters. But they serve a crucial function. They take potentially toxic particles out of the air, keeping them out of your lungs. At the same time, those tiny materials can clog your filters, making them much less effective. The air in your house could then get dirty fairly quickly.
In addition, your furnace and air conditioner would have to work harder to send air throughout your home. After a while, those machines could break. If you have dogs or cats, it’s wise to change your filters once every one or two months. That’s also true if anyone in your home has a respiratory issue such as an allergy. Otherwise, you should be safe changing your air filters once every three months.
Update Your Equipment
Is your HVAC system old and underperforming? If so, it makes sense to invest in a new furnace and air conditioner. When this machinery runs better, it improves the air quality inside your home. It’s especially helpful to buy equipment that’s certified by Energy Star. The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency run this program together. When your cooling and heating systems use less energy, you’ll save money on your utility bills. You’ll be doing your part to help the environment, too.
Replace Your Thermostat
Thermostats wear out over time, usually in 10 years or so. As such, if you’ve had your current thermostat for a decade, 2023 could be the year to replace it. You’ll find plenty of thermostat options for sale. Therefore, it’s beneficial to compare their prices and features. And, if you’re not sure which model would be ideal for your home, you could always ask a pro for advice.
In particular, a programmable thermostat is an excellent choice. This device should reduce your home’s energy consumption and monthly expenses. How does it work? A programmable thermostat keeps your residence at whatever temperature you set it at. That way, when no one’s home, it can be cooler or warmer than it would be if people were there. You wouldn’t waste electricity or money on unnecessary heating or air-conditioning.
Inspect Your Insulation
Home insulation comes in various forms. Yours might be made out of foam, cellulose, fiberglass, or another material. Whatever type it is, your insulation keeps cool air and warm air from seeping outside. As a result, your energy bills are lower, and your heating and cooling devices don’t overwork themselves. As time goes on, however, insulation can deteriorate. (You might be noticing a pattern here.) Insects, rodents, and other pests might gnaw at it. Age can wear it out as well.
Nevertheless, some types of insulating material — spray foam in particular — can last for decades unless they get damaged by a natural disaster or another powerful force. It’s possible, then, that you’ll never have to replace your home insulation completely. Instead, what you might need to do on occasion is examine your insulation and find little spots that have worn out or fallen apart. You could then replace those patches. Fortunately, you could have a professional take care of this tricky job for you. In fact, that leads us to our next topic.
Call in the Pros
Having a professional examine your HVAC system every year is the only way to be sure it’s in the best possible shape. A pro could inspect every inch of your equipment and repair any coils, blades, drain lines, belts, pulleys, switches, and other parts that need repairing. On top of that, this individual could lubricate, calibrate, and clean anything that requires it. (In particular, cleaning your ducts, which we mentioned above, can be a major undertaking.)
Yes, a professional could handle all of these tasks and more, quickly and efficiently. You wouldn’t have to take time out of your schedule for these cleaning and repair chores, many of which can take up a lot of extra time if you’re not used to them. Indeed, these services could actually save you money in the long run. That’s because your heating and cooling devices would work as well as they possibly could. And that means you wouldn’t have to replace your entire furnace or air conditioner prematurely. Moreover, your energy bills would be as low as could be.
Plus, if you ever had a problem with an HVAC item that’s still under warranty, you’d need a pro’s signature as proof of inspection. Without such evidence, you probably couldn’t make a warranty claim.
Du-West Can Help
Du-West Can HelpFinally, if you live in Texas, you can always call us at Du-West for anything related to furnaces and air conditioners. We operate all over the Lone Star State. Our technicians are friendly and dedicated to full customer satisfaction. And everyone on our staff is an expert at furnace and AC maintenance, repair, and installation. Simply put, we at Du-West can make these machines run like a dream. And, if any of these devices are broken beyond repair, we’ll replace them with top-quality models.
When all of these air conditioner and furnace maintenance tasks are handled effectively, your home will be truly comfortable and inviting. The air you breathe will be clean and refreshing. And you won’t have to worry about equipment failures, some of which could be dangerous. For all of these reasons, you could resolve to take better care of your HVAC system at any time. There’s no need to wait until January 1!
