Our home appliances are both a pleasure and a pain. It’s wonderful and fairly crucial to be able to store food in a fridge. Washing clothes in a washer sure beats pounding them on rocks. This line of reasoning also includes heating and cooling your home. Heating one’s home with a woodstove is involved. I’ve done it. There is a large amount of work to be done simply obtaining the fuel. Heating with it can be effective but comes with a litany of extra responsibilities. I like flipping the switch on the thermostat. Same goes for HVAC cooling in the summer. Can any of us truly fathom going through a summer in the South without air conditioning? As it is with all appliances, HVAC components must be maintained well to ensure they work efficiently over a long life. I do my best to enhance the odds that my HVAC will last and use energy wisely. I use high end air filters to give my HVAC the cleanest air possible. Additionally, I change that filter every single month with no exceptions. A blocked, clogged or saturated air filter is bad for the air quality but will slowly choke out the HVAC system. Putting undue stress on your heating and cooling system simply wears out HVAC components early. It is also important to be sure all vents and registers are open and unobstructed. Again, the HVAC system is designed to work best with certain air flow patterns. Closing off vents or covering them inadvertently adds a workload to the HVAC unit. The best thing a homeowner can do for their heating and cooling system is to have it inspected and maintained seasonally by an HVAC pro.