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Expect maintenance
A service plan that combines regular inspections with discounts on repairs and labor warranty is worth
negotiating into the overall price.

At a minimum, regular inspections should include these steps:

• Check for and repair refrigerant leaks.
• Detect and correct duct leaks.
• Inspect and tighten the electrical connections, checking for damage.
• Clean coils, drain pan, and drainage system.
• Vacuum the blower compartment.

Keep up maintenance

• Clean or replace the air conditioner's filter frequently - monthly during heaviest use.
• Get annual, detailed equipment inspections.
• Keep fallen leaves, grass clippings, dryer lint, and other debris away from the system's outdoor condenser coils clean, following manufacturer's instructions.
• Cut back grass and foliage to permit easy airflow around the house.
• See that leaks in ducts are sealed, and that the ducts in uncooled spaces are insulated.
• Don't block vents or stripping around windows and doors.

Work with the weather

• Raise the thermostat settings as much as you can without sacrificing comfort. For every degree you raise the setting, you can expect to cut your cooling bills by 3% or more.
• Use shades, vented awnings, blinds, or curtains to keep out sunlight, especially in the afternoon in rooms facing west.
• Keep exterior doors and windows closed when running the air conditioner during the day. At night, turn off the air conditioner and open up the windows to draw in cooler air when the outdoor humidity is low.
• Plant trees and shrubs to keep the house and the air conditioner's outdoor component. Deciduous trees in particular provide effective and attractive climate control by letting sunlight through in the winter, but blocking it in the summer.

Keep the heat down

• Run fans to keep air moving, so you feel cooler, and can back air-conditioner use or use a variable speed fan in your new system.
• Use the oven sparingly and avoid baking in midday. Run the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer in the evening, when electricity rates may be lower and heat from those appliances won't increase the demands.
• Keep in mind that lamps, TV's, and other appliances produce some heat so turn them off when not in use. Also, position them away from the air conditioner's thermostat. Use compact fluorescent lights if possible. They generate less heat and use less electricity than incandescent.

Helpful Tips
(as advised by Consumer Reports)

Which furnace holds up best?
Gas-fired, forced-air furnaces from American Standard and Trane, both made by American Standard Companies, were more reliable.

Buying a reliable furnace is especially important if some repairs were free; others cost our readers an average of $115 each. If repairing a 12-year-old furnace will cost more than about half the cost of buying and installing a new one, you're probably better off with a new unit. Be leery of a contractor who bases estimates merely on house size or vague rules of thumb.

Brand plays some role in the selection. Readers’ responses to our 2000 Annual Questionnaire indicate that Trane has been among the more reliable brands. Any central cooling system can have trouble because of how well the components were integrated, how well the system was installed, and how scrupulously it has been maintained. That's why you want to reduce the likelihood of trouble by choosing a reliable and established brand. Our brand repair histories have been quite consistent over the years. Our data indicates that the three with the lowest repair rates were more reliable than the four brands with the highest repair rates. Differences of 3 or more points are meaningful.