The weather is beginning to cool, and that means it is time to tuck your air conditioner in for the winter. You need to take care of it before the weather gets cold so that it can take care of you next summer.

Are you about to make an expensive mistake with your A/C replacement? If you're not considering both the initial and the lifetime costs of a new cooling system, it could end up costing you a lot of money in the next decade or more.

Most home air conditioning systems are split systems, meaning they have two constituent units. The outdoor unit houses a condenser that ejects hot air and contains connective refrigerant tubing. The indoor unit, known as the air handler, disperses cool air through the vents in your home. When you're upgrading your HVAC components or installing a new system, you can get either a single-speed or a variable-speed air handler.

Variable-speed air handlers offer several advantages over single-speed systems. Whereas single-speed systems always run on "high," a variable-speed air handler offers a range of settings, which can reduce your power use -- and your utility bills. If you need to cool down your house only a little bit, you can use a lower setting, which draws less energy.

Homeowners across the country are becoming more interested in geothermal heating and cooling systems, and for good reason. Geothermal systems are an economical way to heat or cool a home using the heat stored naturally in the ground.

Geothermal heating is a method of heating and cooling your home that has been around for decades, and is more cost-efficient than conventional methods of heating your home.  That being said, there is some awareness that needs to be conveyed if you are considering this alternative.

Even on cold or overcast days, the earth absorbs about 48 percent of the sun’s energy. This stored energy maintains a relatively constant temperature about 6 feet below the ground’s surface year-round. Ground-source heat pumps make use of this natural reservoir to heat and cool your home. Ground-source heating represents one of the most sustainable and efficient energy options available.

In both winter and summer, your heat pump works hard to keep your home comfortable. To keep it in the best shape possible, you need to have routine heat pump maintenance performed. This will keep it running efficiently, lower repair costs, and prolong the heat pump's life.