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.

1. If you must hire someone to help you out with your HVAC system, be sure to learn about all of the requirements your state has legislated regarding licensing and insurance. You need to be able to ask anyone you plan to hire if they meet these requirements before you hire them.
2. Get an agreement with an HVAC contractor in writing. Some contractors try to skip over this step and charge customers a fortune. If you have a certain price and warranty in writing, they cannot go back and change this information. If they do they could have a lawsuit on their hands.
3. If there are condenser units as part of your HVAC system, clean them often as they tend to have lots of debris. Falling leaves and wind or rain may cause debris to reduce the efficiency of your unit. It will damage the system by overheating.
4. Do you hear a clicking sound when your fan is turning? This may mean that there is something in the way of the fan blades. If it gets so bad that the blade bends, you must replace it. Simply unbending it will leave the fan unbalanced and can cause further issues.
5. When you are no longer using your outdoor air conditioning unit, be sure to protect it with a tight cover. This will keep it free of debris, frost and snow so that you’ll have a working unit when the spring arrives.
6. If you are looking to save money with your HVAC system, consider turning down the air conditioner in the summer and the heat down in the winter. Putting on a sweater on a cold day can save you a ton of money on your utility bill as can enjoying a cold drink instead of heavy air conditioning use.
7. If you currently have a manual thermostat consider installing a programmable one. You can set your system for different temperatures depending on the time of the day and occupancy of the house. Also you can set upper and lower temperature settings to allow for a comfortable range of temperatures so that heating and cooling don’t kick in when not needed.
8. When you are away from home, adjust your thermostat to a money saving temperature. This will save you money on your energy bills. The unit will use a large amount of electricity to combat the heat during the day when the house is empty.
9. As you compare various HVAC systems, be sure to look at the energy ratings for each unit. The higher the ratings, the better the system. Efficiency will not only get your home comfortable faster but it will also help save on your energy bills.
10. When you buy a new air conditioning unit, don’t let the salesperson talk you into buying too large a unit. This will be a waste of money and won’t efficiently cool your home. The longer a system runs, the more efficient it will be so look for one which runs 15 to 30 minutes uninterrupted.

As stated in the introduction, it is your home’s HVAC system that lets you enjoy a consistent indoor temperature range all year long. Regardless of the season your properly maintained home heating, ventilation and air conditioning means you rest indoors comfortably. Use the advice from this article to make sure that your home stays at the temperature you want.