This is what I woke up to, this morning. A fire (made by my husband) in the family room fireplace. Why is this so unusual? Because it's October in Virginia and we have snow. It's also a bit chilly out and I have an issue, twice a year, when it comes to turning on the heat and turning on the air conditioning.
Let me explain.
There are a few reasons why I dread doing both. Let me just start with that fact that before each "turn on", I have enjoyed a lower than usual electric bill for a month or two prior (our whole house is electric) without the heat pump running.
Secondly, I have this "thing" with turning on the heat before November 1st and the air conditioning before June 1st. I'm not quite sure what it is. Maybe, I have a weird psychological issue with the month justifying the change in temperature and therefore justifying the turning on of the heat pump.
Third, and most importantly, our system is just as old as our house. Our house was built-in 1974. We have owned it for about 11 years. We bought it from the original owner who was quite proud of the fact that he replaced nothing in the house, ever! Therefore, we are the only ones in the neighborhood who still have the original heat pump system (the others have replaced theirs at least twice now)
We would have replaced it if it had broken down, but it hasn't yet. It works great and everyone else in the neighborhood who has upgraded has had issues with their systems. So why invest $6,000 to $8,000 of funds we do not have if we don't have to? With that being said, whenever I turn the system on, I have a bit of an anxiety attack beforehand because I'm afraid that it will not work. We can only hope for so long that it lasts, and so far, we've been lucky.
And so, the modus operandi for turning the heat/ac on is this: I announce to the entire family that I am going to turn it on. I hold my breath. I close my eyes. I open my eyes. I turn the switch to on, (mind you I'm still holding my breath at this point) and wait, and wait a bit more, till I see, hear, and feel the air being pushed out of the vents. When the mission is accomplished successfully, I say a prayer of gratitude and keep my hope up that it will last through the season.
Well, it's about that time, dear reader, that I have to do the "dirty deed", as I refer to it. I will be holding out till November, which is right around the corner. And when all is said and one, and it turns on without a hitch, I will then have Peace Of Mind.
WISH ME LUCK!
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