When the summer temperatures start warming up, most homeowners turn on the air conditioning without even thinking twice about it. Unfortunately, if you neglect your air conditioning system and overlook key service needs, you can find yourself facing costly repairs. Here are some of the things that you should be mindful of when it comes to your home's air conditioning system.

Don't turn the system off completely when you leave

You might be tempted to turn off your air conditioning when you leave for work in the morning. After all, you don't really need to cool your home if you aren't in it, right? The truth is that you're doing yourself and your central air conditioning a disservice by shutting it off. Without your air conditioning running throughout the day, the interior of your home warms up substantially. That means your air conditioner must work harder and longer to cool your home again when you do turn it on. This is unnecessary wear and tear, not to mention the discomfort of the heat in your house while you wait. You can turn the temperature up on your air conditioner by a few degrees when you leave the house, but you shouldn't turn it off completely.

Keep the space around your air conditioner clear

When your air conditioning unit sits outside of your home, it's easy to overlook the importance of routine care. One of the most important things that you need to do is keep foliage, grass, and pests away from the unit. Anything growing immediately around your air conditioner could interfere with airflow, and any pest infestations can cause damage inside the unit that may prove costly to address. When you schedule your routine maintenance appointments, this is one of the things that your contractor will address during that service.

Schedule routine service at least once a year

Before the warm weather season starts, call your local air conditioning service technician for an annual appointment. When possible, consider scheduling one at the beginning of the season and then another at the end. That way, you can address any damage from the offseason before the weather warms up and then handle any necessary service from the active season before the unit is dormant for the winter.

The more proactive you are about taking care of your air conditioning system, the less risk you'll face of costly unexpected repairs. Talk with your AC service technician today for more tips.