06 May 08 Summertime Is Coming
Even in the last few days here, it’s gotten noticeably warmer. The current 10-day forecast shows no day’s maximum temperature under 80 degrees, and the lowest nightime minimum at 58F.
Only a couple of weeks ago, we woke up to a few early morning temperatures only just hovering above freezing point.
I think that it won’t be many more days before I have to look at switching on the air-conditioning. I always leave it as long as possible, because usually once it’s switched on, it stays on for the rest of the season, and the electricity bills go up in August to about 2.5 times what they are in the early months of the year.
Recently, we had a new roof installed, and ridge vents were added, which was supposed to make it cooler especially upstairs, but it’s actually made no discernible difference at all – not that we didn’t need new roofs though!
Still, I love the summer myself, and I’m glad there is almost never any snow in these parts!
Tags: air conditioning, day forecast, discernible difference, electricity bills, few days, freezing point, maximum temperature, months of the year, morning temperatures, nightime, ridge vents, roofs
02 Apr 08 That Time Of Year
It ‘s getting warmer.
Now, I’m never one to complain about the heat. I’d love it to be summer all year around. I don’t care about the seasons. I don’t want crisp frosty mornings, and I’ll be a happy camper if I never see snow in real life ever again.
Having said that, I don’t like stuffy. Somehow the heat at the beach or even in main street in the middle of August is better than a hot house.
A hot house? Yes, you know, when it’s not really that hot outside but indoors it’s really sticky.
The condo here is the pits for that. It’s two levels, and while downstairs is usually fine, and can even be fairly cool in the summer, upstairs is a different story. Recently, we’ve had the regime fees hiked up to an outrageous amount to pay for much needed and long neglected repairs and maintenance.
We’ve got a new roof, which has ridge vent tiles. It’s not made one iota of difference to the temperature upstairs. Right now, I have the sun room door open, and the front bedroom windows. There’s no real breeze though. It’s only 68F outside, but it’s 82 in here at this desk. According to my little gizmo on the desk here, the humidity is only 58% too.
Well, the strange thing is, it’s been around that most of the day, but now, around bedtime, it feels really warm and sticky in here. OK, I hear you say, what’s wrong with running the air conditioning?
It uses too much electricity.
No, I’m not a tree hugger. I’m a dollar hugger. The electricity bills hover around the $100 a month mark at this time of year, but once that a/c kicks in, I know it’s going to be on until well into the fall, and that monthly bill creeps nearer to $250 then. Working mostly from home doesn’t help, as I can’t turn it off in mid-summer, but then again, with the gas prices heading up and up, I’m saving more on gas than I’m spending on the electricity.
I guess I should look for a job within walking distance, then I’d save gas and electricity. Thing is, there doesn’t seem to be many IT companies within this immediate neighborhood, and anyway, I generally like my independence.
Still, it’s time to quit computers altogether for a few hours, and go take up that horizontal book reading position for a while.
I’m still looking forward to summer.
Tags: bedroom windows, bedtime, different story, downstairs, electricity bills, frosty mornings, gas prices, gizmo, happy camper, home doesn, iota, mid summer, pits, ridge vent, strange thing, sun room, time of year, tree hugger, vent tiles, walking distance
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