A maintenance checklist by season
Spring for the cooling. Fall for the heat.
What you can do yourself between visits, and what the yearly check-up should look at, from ENERGY STAR's own checklist and PG&E's gas safety advice.
What you can do yourself
Most of it is the filter.
- Check the filter every month, especially in the heavy-use months of winter and summer.
- If it looks dirty after a month, change it, and change it at least every 3 months either way.
- On a heat pump, clean the filter when it's visibly dirty or when the filter light comes on.
- Keep the furnace's air supply vents clear: a furnace needs a constant supply of fresh air to run efficiently and safely.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Heating and Cooling. Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-22.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Air Source Heat Pumps. Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-22.
Source: PG&E, Gas Safety. Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-22.
What a check-up looks at, and why
From ENERGY STAR's maintenance checklist.
- The condensate drain: a plugged one can cause water damage and throw off indoor humidity.
- The coils: dirty ones make the system run longer, which costs more and shortens its life.
- The refrigerant level: too much or too little makes the system less efficient.
- The airflow: problems there can reduce efficiency by up to 15 percent.
- On a gas furnace, the burner and the heat exchanger: a dirty burner or a cracked heat exchanger makes it run less safely and efficiently.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Maintenance Checklist. Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-22.
Book the next one
Call for a spring cooling check or a fall heating check, and tell us what you've noticed since the last one.
Pin this up
The short version, by season
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Spring
the cooling check-up
Contractors get busy once summer comes, so ENERGY STAR says check the cooling in spring.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Maintenance Checklist, last checked 2026-10-22.
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Fall
the heating check-up
The same reasoning before winter.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Maintenance Checklist, last checked 2026-10-22.
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Monthly
a look at the filter
And a new one at least every 3 months.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Heating and Cooling, last checked 2026-10-22.
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Yearly
anything that burns gas
PG&E's advice: a qualified professional inspects heating systems and fuel-burning appliances every year.
Source: PG&E, Carbon Monoxide Safety, last checked 2026-10-22.
Tell us what it's doing. We'll take it from there.
Call and describe the problem: the noise, the smell, the room that never warms up. Or book a visit online.
