Sometimes, it’s all the accumulation of the little things that make a big difference.
And this phenomenon can go both ways.
For some, the constant adding up of small frustrations can end up sending a person spiraling into a depression. The up side of all those small things that we work hard to remember can lead to beg accomplishments. And that’s exactly what I’m seeing with my HVAC cooling savings strategy. Of course, this is not the time of year to really worry so much about the HVAC cooling costs. We are finally in a spot where the heat is not forcing the air conditioning to be running. It’s actually sort of nice to walk outside and not hear a chorus of heat pumps working at cooling homes. For the last 6 years, I have been actively attempting to lower the cost of air conditioning in our home. For too long, we just paid whatever the cost of cooling the house was and all I could do was complain about it. That just didn’t do so I got proactive. The first step was pretty basic. Seal up the house to keep the HVAC cooling inside. Stop the direct sunlight heating by covering windows and be as disciplined as possible with the thermostat setting. And they all worked. But the last few years, I’ve added to those HVAC cooling savings with just a few smaller efforts each year. For example, I don’t cook on the stove or in the over during the summer. This stops unnecessary heating up of the house. I simply cook outside on the grill. It’s these little things that keep adding up for us each year.