One of the things I like most about living in an area with a nice climate is being able to open the windows.
Don’t get me wrong.
I embrace heating and cooling and am a fan of improving HVAC technology. Even so, opening the windows at night is wonderful for me. I get to breathe fresh air and hear the sounds of the night. There are owls that live in the trees behind my backyard, and I enjoy hearing them hooting at night. When the air conditioning or heating is running, I can’t hear those kinds of sounds. Plus, I have to admit, it is often so hot here that I am forced to run the a/c almost all year long. When those cooler months come along, generally in the fall and spring, there is nothing better than turning that a/c off, opening the windows to breathe a little easier, and enjoying a little of what Mother nature provides for us. Besides airing out the house and giving everyone a little breather from recirculated air conditioning, living al fresco also gives us a break from those overwhelming heating and cooling bills. It is not common for me to use my furnace; we do have a couple of months when the thermostat dips pretty low, but that doesn’t happen every year. I try my hardest not to ever use the heater. The dry air that gets forced through those ducts really bothers my sinuses, so I go for as long as possible without turning on the heater. The only time I absolutely have to is when it gets so cold that the pipes might freeze.