This Saturday marks the first day of summer! So while you’re gearing up for cookouts, vacations, and days laying poolside, we here at Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning want to help keep your home cool and efficient all season long. Today we’re providing you with 8 summer home maintenance tips that will help you do just that!

8 summer home maintenance tips for St. Louis area homeowners

  1. Schedule your A/C tune-up. Air conditioner tune-ups are best scheduled in the spring before the summer heat hits, but it’s better late than never! If you haven’t yet scheduled your tune-up with Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, do it now so that you can avoid A/C problems this summer and keep your cooling bills low.
  2. Clean and check your ceiling fans. The blades on your ceiling fans can accumulate a lot of dirt, which can get into your home’s air. Clean them up, because you’ll want to use them this summer to help keep cool air down toward the floor. In addition, make sure that they are spinning clockwise, especially if you changed their direction this winter.
  3. Seal your windows and doors. Air leaks in your windows and doors will force your air conditioner to work overtime to keep your home cool. You can seal them up with caulk and weatherstripping to ensure that cool air stays where it’s supposed to: inside your home!
  4. Block out the sun’s heat. We all love sunlight beaming through our windows on a summer day, but the sun’s rays can add heat to your home and increase your A/C’s energy consumption. If your home is empty during the day while people are at work, keep your blinds shut to block out the sun’s rays.
  5. Change your air filter. Your air conditioner runs most often in the summer, which makes this one of the seasons that your filter will clog up the fastest. Be sure to check and change your filter once per month to avoid severe efficiency issues with your cooling system.
  6. Take the cooking to the deck. Cooking indoors can add a lot of heat to your home. Take advantage of the pleasant summer evenings and grill outside instead! This will keep the heat from cooking outside and provide a little relief for your air conditioner.
  7. Use heat-producing appliances at night. Your cooking appliances aren’t the only things that add heat to your home. By waiting to use other heat-producing appliances like your dishwasher and dryer until it is dark and cooler outside, you can minimize heat buildup in your home.
  8. Set your thermostat before leaving for vacation. Summer is a very popular season for family vacations. If you know that your home is going to be unoccupied for a few days or more in a row, raise your thermostat 10-15 degrees more than normal to conserve energy.

If you have any questions about these summer home maintenance tips, or if you’d like a cooling system serviced or installed in your home, contact Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, your St. Louis area heating and air conditioning contractor. We service the St. Louis area, including towns like Manchester, Maryland Heights, and O’Fallon.

photo credit: ruminatrix via photopin cc

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