In our local area, the Wintertide weather is brutal.
By the end of July, it gets chilly enough to need the oil furnace at night, the two of us often have several inches of snow by Halloween and several feet for Christmas.
The temperature is consistently below cold and can drop down into the downside digits, however it’s not unrespected to rely on the heating plan until sometime in April. The Spring season is brief and normally chilly and wet, then when Summer arrives, the two of us deal with high humidity and temperatures in the upper eighties. While it’s possible to get along without central a/c, I wouldn’t want to try it. The clammy conditions make it difficult to sleep and cause problems with air quality and home furnishings. Between operating the oil furnace and the air conditioner, temperature control adds up to approximately fifty percent of our energy costs, despite investing in high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment, the cost is a large impact on our budget. I’ve made energy conservation a priority. I’ve taken proactive measures to tighten up our home and eliminate waste. I don’t want the heated and cooled air to leak out through cracks and flaws in the thermal envelope, then a consistently sealed home reduces demands on the heating and cooling system, increasing running times and costs, and plus, there’s less wear and tear on components, promoting greater reliability and longevity, and over the years, I’ve upgraded all of the windows in our home. I upgraded to thermal pane windows and meticulous caulked and insulated around them. I spent a fortune on Energy Star rated front and back doors with weatherstripping. I’ve added insulation in the walls, ceilings, around plumbing pipes and throughout the attic.