Spring in a Fort Wayne house

Spring is when Fort Wayne homeowners can think: the last freeze comes around April 24, the winter bills are in, and nobody is waiting on an emergency repair.

A brick and timber house with a tall chimney behind a green lawn in Fort Wayne in May — PLATE 1A Fort Wayne house in May. The normal high climbs from 48°F in March to 72°F in May.

A furnace or air conditioner chosen in April is chosen with time to compare. These four essays go through the bill, the replacement job, the fuel choice and the first checks before summer. The temperature figures come from NOAA's 1991-2020 normals.

MarchThe winter gas billNIPSCO projected $171 for January. March was still expected to top December.
AprilWhat a furnace replacement really involvesA new furnace starts with a Manual J calculation and ends with a startup check.
AprilFurnace or heat pump in a Fort Wayne winterFort Wayne's normal year: 5,967.7 heating degree days against 849.1 cooling degree days.
MayGetting central air ready in MayFort Wayne's normal high jumps from 72.2°F in May to 81.0°F in June.