As the mercury rises into the summer months, don’t forget to change your home’s air filters regularly.  It not only extends the life of your HVAC unit, but can help keep your energy costs down, too.

Not all air filters are created alike, however. Don’t go cheap.

Your local hardware store carries a variety of air filters ranging in price from less than a dollar to $20 or more per filter. They’re all purported to do the same job, but after watching this 1-minute video, you’ll see why cheaper isn’t necessarily better.

Airborne particles are smaller than most mesh filters. Pleated filters are recommended instead.

Most high-quality air filters start around $11 and can be purchased in bulk from Amazon at discounts of up to 20 percent.  3M’s Filtrete line of products is a popular, well-selling brand and can last up to 3 months.

If your home has shedding pets or is dust-prone, consider changing them monthly.