Filter maintenance may not top your list of concerns. Your air conditioner and furnace continue to chug along, with or without your attention. But filter maintenance shouldn’t be ignored, even during milder seasons in Southwest Florida.

Here are three good reasons not to ignore filter maintenance:

• Clean filters preserve the life of your HVAC system. HVAC systems are designed to circulate healthy air through your home, and filters are an integral part of their design. Filters keep indoor pollutants from running through the system and becoming airborne. As the filter removes particles from the air, it becomes caked with allergens and dust. Your HVAC equipment has to work harder to blow air through a dirty filter, and that extra work can shorten the life of your system.
• Clean filters reduce allergens in your home. Modern HVAC systems recirculate air throughout the house, which helps maintain a comfortable temperature. But it also means allergens such as molds, pollen, pet dander and dust get recirculated. To reduce allergens in your home, choose efficient filters and check them monthly during Southwest Florida’s hot summers.
• Clean filters save money on your utility bill. HVAC systems are designed to run as often as is necessary to achieve and maintain the desired temperature in your home. If your filter is dirty or clogged and air can’t easily pass through, your system will nonetheless continue to work to reach your desired temperature. All that extra work shows up as large numbers on your utility bill. Give your HVAC system and your wallet a break and change those filters.

Filter maintenance is an easy but easily overlooked task. If you’re prone to forgetting to change the filter, set a certain day each month for checking it or install an air filter gauge to help you change it frequently enough to preserve your system, reduce allergens in your home and keep your utility bill under control.

For more ideas on how to improve or preserve your home’s HVAC system, contact the professionals at Conditioned Air. Serving Southwest Florida, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Air filter image via Shutterstock