Is your home comfort system ready for spring? Our spring air-conditioning checklist offers ways to stay comfortable throughout the season, while lowering monthly energy costs.

Keep your cool with simple A/C maintenance

• Clear leaves, brush and dirt from inside your air conditioner's top grille.
• Trim nearby shrubs and bushes to allow at least two feet of clearance around the unit.
• Set the thermostat to cooling mode and run your air conditioner a few minutes to make sure it's working.
• Schedule an annual checkup of your air-conditioning system.
• Replace your air conditioner filter once a month. Dirty filters restrict airflow and can waste energy.
• If you use a room air conditioner, install it on a north-facing wall to keep it out of the sun.
• If it's time to replace your air conditioner, look for an ENERGY STAR^® qualified model. Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can cut your annual energy bill by nearly $200.*

Don't let April showers bring May mildew

• Clear leaves, pine needles and other debris from gutters and downspouts to ensure proper drainage. Check that they're stable to avoid flying debris during storms.
• Be sure downspouts slope away from your house. They should carry water at least 5' from foundation walls.
• Position lawn sprinklers so they don't spray your home's walls.
• Examine window and door seals and weatherstripping. Reseal if needed.
• Move furniture a few inches away from the inside of exterior walls to increase air circulation.
• Check windows for condensation and walls for water stains, which are signs of too much humidity.
• Keep your home's relative humidity between 30 – 50%. A humidity control system such as Humiditrol^® can safely control humidity.

Take control of home energy costs

• Reduce air leaks in your home by caulking, sealing and weatherstripping around doors and windows.
• Use exhaust fans to reduce moisture in the kitchen or bath, but turn them off when they're no longer needed.
• Make sure your refrigerator's seals are airtight. Test by closing the door over a dollar bill. If you can pull the dollar out easily, the seal may need to be adjusted.
• Wash only full loads in your dishwasher and clothes washer.
• Turn off lights you don't need to save energy and reduce extra heat in your home.
• If it's time to replace your air conditioner, choose an energy-efficient model with two-stage cooling, such as the XC-14 (lennox.com). Two levels of operation allow you to rely on the low setting most of the time.
• Prepare dinner on your outdoor grill to help reduce your air conditioner's load.
• Check ducts for air leaks, including holes or separated sections.

*Source: www.energystar.gov