Weather or not, Spring is Here!

Happy Equinox Day: The first day of Spring is Here! Technically, this year the first day of Spring occurred on 3/20/2022 – even though as we saw last year, it was on the twenty-first (https://suntexllc.com/spring-has-officially-sprung/). Why the difference? For that answer, I’ll turn the online version of the Farmer’s Almanac (check it out, here: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/spring-equinox-first-day-spring).

As the article within this link will attest, the first day of spring changes because…

“Essentially, our hours of daylight—the period of time each day between sunrise and sunset—have been growing slightly longer each day since the winter solstice in December, which is the shortest day of the year (at least in terms of light).

Even though we know that after December 21st, the days start getting steadily longer, we still see more darkness than light over the course of a day in those three months leading up to spring. The vernal equinox marks the turning point when daylight begins to win out over darkness.

At this moment, the direct rays of the Sun are shining down on the equator producing the effect of equal day and night (give or take a few minutes, see below).  After the vernal equinox, the direct rays of the Sun migrate north of the Equator (with hours of daylight steadily growing longer) until they finally arrive at the Tropic of the Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees north)” (https://www.farmersalmanac.com/spring-equinox-first-day-spring).

Keep in mind that this specific set of facts about the Earth’s orbit around the sun apply to the Northern hemisphere – the Southern hemisphere would then, in turn (ha!), experience the same phenomenon of the days getting longer, following the autumn/winter equinoxes.

Though the Texas weather might fool us into believing that winter is not yet over, keep in mind that warmer days are just around the corner! I hope you have started planning and planting your spring garden, and made a plan to keep cool this summer, particularly as energy prices and demand start to climb. Should you have any questions about the energy efficiency in your home, feel free to give us a call today.

Either way, we hope you have a Happy Spring!