Summer's Here!!

I parked beneath a fully-leaved tree, in the shade, with my windshield facing away from the sun, with the windows all cracked an inch, but when I returned to my car after my dental cleaning, the temp read-out was 122 degrees!! Glad to know that the AC cooled the car to 114 degrees by the time I arrived home, where the temp was steady at 113 degrees.

Summer has arrived in the desert.

Yep, I've turned on the AC, but did so reluctantly because we all had smart meters installed, whether we wanted them or not, by the electric company. Smart readers help the electric company better access my usage patterns and information, especially my usage during the peak hours (translation: most expensive usage hours), such as noon to 6 pm -- when the temps soar to their highest, along with the electricity rates that, ironically, don't give a damn that it's hotter than hell outside. The focus of the electric company is profit, so charging the highest rates for electricity during the hottest times of the day is simply good business for them and another financial hit for the consumer.

I replaced all the doors/windows, as well as all of my appliances and light bulbs, with energy efficient options over the past several years, but I did not replace the Trane AC system because it continues to work well. I clean the filters and the outside fan every month, and I'm not going to spend $5 grand to replace the equipment until/unless it fails. The temp control is set to 85 degrees, which actually feels quite cool inside on the tile flooring when it's in the hundred + teens outside.

The good news is that it's mid-June and I've just had to turn on the AC; many years, the AC comes on the first of May. If the weather continues to cooperate, we'll be back in the bearable 90s by the end of September, which means not using the AC 24/7. All discretionary income will be spent to pay for AC in the desert during the hot, hotter, hottest 3 summer months, our own version of stay-cations. Between gas prices and electric bills, no one can afford to go anywhere/do anything!!

Oh, well.