After an unusually mild Minnesota winter, spring is warming up the Twin Cities area as we head into the summer. Why not make this the year that you really take charge of your energy bills?

The maximum day length during the Minneapolis and St. Paul summers is 15 hours, 37 minutes. That’s more than enough sunshine to make a solar installation a sensible way to generate some of your home’s energy. Summer is a good time of year to do the installation, since days are long and temperatures are moderate.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas produced as a by-product of combustion. It is especially dangerous because it is odorless, and has no taste or color. Therefore, if you don’t have CO detectors in your home, you and your loved ones could fall victim to dangerous levels of CO, without even knowing it.

Ensuring that your home-comfort system is working as efficiently and optimally as possible is the ultimate way to fight outdoor temperature extremes. But because most home’s heating and cooling ductwork is out of sight, and therefore out of mind, means that it sometimes gets overlooked when you’re looking for ways to improve your energy efficiency.

Mold spores, second-hand smoke, pet dander and dust particles can all have negative effects on your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). And if you don’t address those issues, you and your loved ones could experience an increase in allergy and asthma symptoms, breathing difficulties and general malaise. However, there is an answer.

If you had problems with your heating system over the winter, you may have delayed buying a furnace replacement because of the cost or because you didn’t want to be without heat during the cold winter months. However, with the arrival of spring, there is really no better time than now to replace your furnace.

If you’re like a lot of people in the Twin Cities area, you’ve already decided to invest your tax refund in your home. One home improvement that can actually pay you back over time is the purchase of a new air-conditioning system that will work hard to keep you cool and comfortable all summer long.

Although it’s hard to predict the weather, one thing is for certain. Eventually you’ll need to turn on your cooling system when temperatures in the Twin Cities get uncomfortably warm and humid. Spring is here, so that could be sooner rather than later. And running your air conditioner without first ensuring that it receives the necessary seasonal maintenance could cause your electric bill to rise and needless wear and tear to occur on your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) equipment.

HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems keep your home comfortable, no matter the weather outside. Unfortunately, even the best HVAC systems sometime struggle against the realities of house design and the laws of physics. Maybe one part of your home is always comfortable, while another is too hot or cold. Or maybe it seems as if your HVAC system is running all the time to try to keep your temperature consistent.

You may have heard someone complain about an experience with an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) contractor that was less than positive. Perhaps the technician was unable to diagnose a problem properly the first time he visited, or perhaps the technician had to return several times before being able to fix the problem. You may even have heard of technicians installing used parts when making repairs, but still charging the customer the price of new parts.