Living in Minneapolis can be a challenge, then the weather is dire for the majority of they year.
The winters are especially long, chilly & windy.
The summers are excessively humid; My friend and I rely on either the boiler or the air conditioning system just about year round. The cost of heating & cooling is a major drain on the budget… I’ve taken all sorts of precautionary measures to prevent energy waste. I’ve invested into Energy Star rated, thermal pane windows & carefully caulked around them. I’ve replaced the exterior doors & weatherstripped. The addition of ceiling fans helps to create a cooling affect in the summer time & works to distribute heat while in the winter… Smart thermostats automatically make adjustments to optimize energy efficiency & supply energy saving tips. I’ve enrolled into am service plan with a local Minneapolis Heating, Ventilation, & A/C company that includes two service calls per year… A licensed, insured & NATE-certified corporation takes care of the upkeep of the boiler in the fall & the air conditioning system in the Spring. Intensive & regular cleaning, inspection, testing & adjustment helps to preven malfunctions & promotes peak efficiency, capacity & longevity, but however, all of my efforts to tighten up the thermal envelope have reduced natural ventilation, and contaminants such as dust, bacteria, dander, viruses & pollen are trapped inside the cabin & repeatedly circulated by the heating & cooling system, and plus, the air gets overly dry in the winter, & my buddy and I have complaints with moisture in the summer. I did some research & came across heat reusey ventilators. An HRV is designed to bring in a steady supply of fresh air to replace the stale air. In the winter, it uses the outgoing air to preheat the incoming air, saving money on energy costs. In the summer, it works to get rid of excess humidity, minimizing demands on the air conditioning system.