The timing, plainly
When should you service your AC and furnace?
Twice a year, just ahead of each season: the AC in spring before the first heat wave, the furnace in late summer or early fall before the first cold night. The timing matters more than the month — service companies book out fast once the first extreme week hits, and that’s also when failures surface. A tune-up in the calm season is cheaper, easier to schedule, and catches problems while they’re small.
The first hot and first cold weeks create the rush: book before them and you choose the appointment; book during and you wait behind everyone’s emergency.
Where it sits in the year
Ordered from this month — this is the shape of it on a timeline.
Is annual HVAC service actually worth it?
A tune-up costs a fraction of a peak-season emergency call, and it finds failing parts in the season when losing heat or cooling is an inconvenience, not an emergency.
What about filters between services?
Filters are the between-visits job — typically every 1–3 months for standard 1-inch filters. See our furnace-filter guide for the schedule.
The date is the easy part. Remembering is the product.
Reviewal keeps windows like this on one page — the whole year of them — and emails you before each one opens. Your calendar handles what's today; this is the layer above it. Free to start: 40 events, 3 sections, reminders included.
Tracking this in a spreadsheet or calendar today? See exactly what changes: vs. a spreadsheet · vs. calendar reminders