Living in Minneapolis can be a challenge! The weather is dire for the majority of they year.
The winters are especially long, cold and windy.
The summers are excessively humid. My associate and I rely on either the furnace or the air conditioning just about year round. The cost of heating and cooling is a major drain on the budget, and i’ve taken all sorts of precautionary measures to prevent energy waste. I’ve invested into Energy Star rated, thermal pane windows and carefully caulked around them. I’ve replaced the exterior doors and weatherstripped. The addition of ceiling fans helps to create a cooling affect in the Summer and works to distribute heat while in the winter; Smart control units automatically make adjustments to optimize energy efficiency and provide energy saving tips. I’ve enrolled into am maintenance plan with a local Minneapolis Heating and A/C company that includes two maintenance calls per year… A licensed, insured and NATE-certified specialist takes care of the upkeep of the furnace in the fall and the air conditioning in the Springtime. Intensive and respected cleaning, inspection, testing and adjustment helps to preven malfunctions and promotes peak efficiency, capacity and longevity! However, all of my efforts to tighten up the thermal envelope have reduced natural ventilation, and contaminants such as dust, bacteria, dander, viruses and pollen are trapped inside the home and repeatedly circulated by the heating and cooling system… Plus, the air gets overly dry in the winter, and my good friend and I have complaints with moisture in the summer. I did some research and came across heat reclaimy 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 utility bills. In the summer, it works to get rid of excess humidity, minimizing demands on the air conditioning.