Heating and cooling are critical components of a comfortable home life. Without an HVAC system, your winters would be unbearably cold and your summers swelteringly hot. Your HVAC unit works quietly in the background, keeping your home warm and toasty or cool and comfortable, but even the best systems can encounter problems in the long term. Sometimes, HVAC units break down prematurely, which means you could need an air conditioner replacement in the middle of searing summer heat. In most of these cases, it’s not a problem with the HVAC system itself, but rather a matter of upkeep–or more accurately, the lack thereof.
To help you maintain your HVAC equipment and enjoy its benefits for as long as possible, it’s important to have a basic understanding of thermodynamics, the branch of physical science that has to do with how heat interacts with other forms of energy. Your HVAC system–and truly, your entire home–is a prime example of that interaction.
Here are the principles you should be aware of that will enable you to take better care of your heating and cooling equipment.
