Winter is approaching rapidly, and besides cleaning up the lawn one final time for the season and putting away all of the summer patio furniture, there's another really important home maintenance task that often goes overlooked. That's right, getting the heating and air conditioning units ready for the cooler weather is a must. There are several easy steps to take.

Clean Up The Air Conditioning Compressor

Autumn leaves and debris tend to find their way into all of the nooks and crannies of outdoor heating and air conditioning units. It's a good idea to clean it up before winter to ensure peak efficiency. Plus, this kind of regular maintenance will almost always allow you to get a few more trouble-free years of service from the equipment. If you decide to use a hose, be absolutely sure the power is shut off to the unit first.

Have All Heating And Air Conditioning Units Inspected

It is a good idea to have a professional give your home's HVAC system a good once-over, at least once a year. Besides cleaning and lubricating the key parts of the units, the technician will also check to make sure all gas and combustion components are operating correctly with no dangerous leaks. Of course, safety should always come first - and regular maintenance will also keep heating and air conditioning units running at their maximum peak efficiency.

Change Or Clean The Filters

While the service technician will probably go ahead and take care of this for you while they're doing the yearly tune-up, be sure the filters are changed or cleaned (depending on what type of filter system your heating and air conditioning units use) at a regular frequency. Some suggest taking care of the filters monthly, but if anyone in your home suffers from allergies, it's probably a good idea to do it even more often than that.

Reprogram Your Thermostat

Programmable thermostats are becoming more and more common, both for the comfort and convenience they provide, as well as the energy savings they can promote. This is a good time of the year to go ahead and reprogram the thermostats with the best temperatures for the fast approaching season. It's not very often that the most comfortable and energy efficient temperatures will remain exactly the same through both the cooling season and the heating season.

By taking these simple steps towards maintaining your home's heating and air conditioning units, you'll not only be prolonging the system's lifespan, but also ensuring safety and efficiency.