Is your house too hot or too cool? Your problem could be the thermostat and, perhaps, its location. It shouldn’t be over a lamp, TV or any heat source. Drafts will read as lower temperatures and send wrong commands to the air conditioner or furnace. Electronic thermostats with digital readouts and keypads rarely fail. Just put in new batteries when the low-power light comes on. When older mechanical thermostats malfunction, those with lever-set temperatures and contact switches usually need cleaning only. To do so, remove the cover and dust inside with a soft brush. To clean contacts, slip a piece of paper between them moving very lightly back and forth. If your AC or furnace cycles on and off too seldom or too frequently and you have a mechanical control, try adjusting the anticipator -- usually a flat metal pointer on a scale. With simple maintenance and light cleaning, thermostats, whether electronic or mechanical, will function best and as they should -- for comfort. And that's the On The House tip for today.