I live in an area with extremely long and severe winter seasons.
We often start up the furnace in early September and rely on it until the end of April.
Because of temperatures well below zero, we need to keep the house sealed tight and remain indoors. I spend a small fortune on heating bills and make sure to take very good care of the furnace. I change the air filter every month and hire professional maintenance every fall. Since even the fall and spring seasons are often chilly and wet, it’s seldom possible to open up the windows. I look forward to the warmer weather. I am relieved to shut down the furnace and welcome some fresh air inside. The last thing I want to do is close the windows back up, start up a central air conditioner and pay a huge monthly electric bill. My family spends the majority of the summer outside. We tend to only come back inside at night for dinner and to sleep. We’re able to get by with window air conditioners and box fans. Although having cooling units in the windows isn’t overly attractive, these systems are inexpensive and convenient. I was able to buy a top-of-the-line window air conditioner for under $200. I can install the equipment into the window in less than ten minutes. Most modern window air conditioners allow programmable operation. I have the units set up to cycle on shortly before we head to bed at night. Despite the small size, these units are powerful enough to cool the room down within a few minutes. Even during those hot and sticky summer nights, we can sleep comfortably.