The monthly electric bill is once again very scary.
It’s as though I can actually feel it sucking the money out of my wallet.
The money we spend as a household for HVAC comfort can get a bit staggering. Just writing the check each month, during the peak heating season, can feel as though I am writing a monthly tuition payment. Back when I was a kid, the HVAC cooling was next to magic and anyone who touch the thermostat was engaging in some risky behavior. God forbid one of us kids left a door ajar during the summer. My old man would go off like a mental patient. That poor man would be agog if he could witness what is going on in this house. There is simply no regard for what it costs to cool this house. My kids act like HVAC is a right and something that should be customized to them. Maybe he began speaking to me from the grave but, I have changed my whole attitude on our HVAC use. The heating and cooling system is fairly new and is super efficient. The HVAC system is so not the problem. The problem begins with the people who are living in the house I am paying for. The changes came swift. First, I spent a weekend with a caulk gun sealing up the entire inside and exterior of the home. There will be no more HVAC treated air leaking outside. Then I put in a smart thermostat that can’t be manually overridden by anyone but me. I put up automatic solar blinds and synced them to the smart thermostat. Finally, I am reviewing the security footage of the house and am fining anyone leaving anything open.