Of course, you’re looking forward to your vacation, but we’re talking here about maximizing your comfort during the hot summer months. There’s a lot you can do in and around your home to keep the cool air in and the hot air out (see below), but almost certainly the most important thing is to see that your air conditioner, or air conditioners, are working well and efficiently and can keep you comfortable this summer. Here are some steps to take:

1. Change the filters in your individual air conditioners or system. They should be changed at least every two months, and more often if they are being worked hard, as in warm weather. And you probably didn’t do it before you turned everything off last fall.

2. Remove the covers, if any, from your air conditioner’s outdoor condenser and clean the coils. Clear the area around the condenser so that nothing interferes with the full air flow.

3. Check your system’s operation. Turn the thermostat to “cool” and set a cool temperature to be sure it will start. Check the individual outlets to be sure that each one is delivering the desired amount of cooling. Check the individual outlets to be sure that each one is delivering the desired amount of cooling.

4. Do all this at the earliest possible date, because if something doesn’t function—or function properly—you will need professional help. Such help is going to be hard to find once the hot weather begins, because air conditioning specialists will already be busy attending to the deficiencies of other people’s air conditioners.

5. The highly qualified air conditioning specialists at Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling have years of experience and have won Angie’s super service award six years in a row. They stand ready to help you with all your seasonal cooling preparations.