For several years, I wrote articles for a free magazine that was included in the local newspaper once a month and could also be found all over town in newspaper boxes and in local doctors’ offices and gyms.
It was called Your Health, and it was the most fun I ever had during my freelance writing sidegig.
One summer, the whole magazine was dedicated to staying cooler in the summer. I think it was the May issue, and it was intended to give people ideas for cooling in time for the heat of June through September. One article was all about using the microwave instead of the oven. I discovered that the oven heats up the environment so much that the air conditioner has to work incredibly hard to keep your home at your favorite thermostat setting. In fact, some studies by HVAC companies indicate that if you use your oven during the summer months, your a/c is likely to need to be replaced three years sooner! Think about that! First, you rack up cooling costs while the a/c is trying to cool you down while you slave away at the stovetop or bake your chicken in the oven. Then, on top of that, you will probably have to replace your whole HVAC system (or at least the a/c portion) long before your neighbor who has learned to live on salads and food cooked in the microwave! I highly recommend that you learn to nuke your food in order to save your a/c from an untimely death.