It may be time to open the windows and start enjoying fresh air and warm weather. Is your house ready?
Here are seven items to add to your springtime to-do list that might help your home feel more comfortable and cared for before it gets hot:
1. Call a qualified service technician to inspect and maintain your air conditioning system. Paying $100 or so now could prevent a huge expense this summer if your system breaks down on a hot day and you have to have it repaired or replaced in a hurry. Maintenance goes a long way toward preventing emergencies and can prolong the life of your equipment. Plus, maintaining your AC improves your energy efficiency.
2. While you’re outdoors planting and pruning, trim all the bushes and pull all the weeds near your air conditioner’s outside condenser unit. Remove any fallen tree limbs that landed on it, brush off leaves that have collected on or around it, and pick up trash that found its way there as it sat unused all winter. Anything that touches the unit and prevents air from circulating around it will make it perform less efficiently. If the aluminum fins on your unit are bent, they could be blocking airflow; use a fin comb to return the fins to their original position. Cleaning your condensate line with a wire brush can help it do its job of removing humidity from the home. A bonus: Put a shallow pan at the end of your condensate drain to collect excess water, then use it to water plants.
3. While you’ve got your shovel and spade out, consider planting some shade trees on the sunny side of your house. As they grow, they’ll filter the sunrays that can beat so fiercely on your windows in the summer and make your AC work harder. Just be sure to look up to make sure you’re planting away from any overhead power lines, and call 811 to have underground lines located before digging.
4. Use shades, blinds and curtains to help limit heat gain in your home, or use plastic window film to mimic the function of double-pane windows. The films are easy to install, affordable and effective.
5. Speaking of windows, clean your windows, inside and out. Newer models are simple to clean because you can tilt them toward the inside of the house so you can reach both sides. Clean windows let more sunlight in, which means you won’t have to turn on as many lights.
6. Caulk air leaks and seal air ducts. Openings and cracks lead to leaked air. This causes your AC to work that much harder to cool your home. Seal them all using quality caulk. Leaks in air ducts also drive up energy costs. Insulating and sealing ducts will make your home more energy efficient.
7. Reprogram your thermostat. As the warm spring temperatures heat your home, you can save money by giving your heating system a break and adjusting the thermostat. The settings on a programmable thermostat can keep your home warm and comfortable during the winter, but you should change the settings to correspond with the weather. You’ll need the heat on less as spring arrives, and you may not even need it at all while you’re away or while you’re asleep. If you haven’t already invested in a programmable or smart thermostat, now is a great time to install one. It’ll typically pay for itself in less than two years with energy savings and, when used correctly, they make your whole home a little more comfortable.