Another amazing winter just passed.
But as I turn to face the outside, I see that the trees are sporting tiny, green leaves.
Down south, it’s late February, which means spring is quickly approaching. My heart is warmed by the first appearance of daffodils, new growth, and pollen, but it’s also a signal for me to call the HVAC company. I’ll be shocked soon enough by a local forecast saying that the highs will remain in the 90s. I am aware that it will be months before that situation becomes the norm. However, I am aware that I will require some cooling comfort once the temperature reaches 90 degrees. As long as the peak heating hours are still in the 80s, I try to keep the windows open. That’s because it gets cool enough in the evenings for us to sleep without air conditioning. Evenings with temperatures in the 90s trigger the heat pump to turn on. Therefore, it is best practice in our home to have the air conditioner serviced right away. But when it comes to air conditioning, I’m going to rely on some new HVAC technology this year. Now that we have a smart thermostat, I can’t wait to see how much the heat pump efficiency will increase. Since we installed the smart thermostat in the fall of last year, it hasn’t needed to do much. During our mild winters, the heat pump doesn’t get much heating work. As a result, the smart thermostat will now take into account how we use the cooling in this house after months of learning our habits.