Frugality on heating and cooling

I tried to save money wherever possible.

I am not cheap, I am frugal. One of the things I find difficult to give up, though, is decent heating and cooling in extreme temperatures. Much of the time, our summers are brutal, but our winters can often be pretty darn cold! We barely ever get mild weather, although there are brief times in the spring and the fall where weather can be pleasant. So, I use my HVAC system excessively when I occupy my house. That being said, I tend to be away for at least 60 hours a week! So, for the longest time, I got into the habit of turning my thermostat up or down when I wasn’t in a home, to save money on my utility bills. In the dead of the summer I would set my thermostat to 70, before I left, so that it would rarely turn on. In the winter, I would set it to 60, so that the heat would not kick in so much, either. This has saved me a considerable amount over the years on my utility bills. The only thing I struggle with is coming home to conditions that need before it’s comfortable again. Luckily, my HVAC system is a pretty good unit, so it brings things back up or down to comfortable hot as well as cold temperatures pretty abruptly. I am even starting to wonder whether or not I should simply shut off the system before I leave for work in the day. It may not make all that much of a difference!

 

Mini split air conditioner