Yesterday, I called the HVAC company that I’ve been doing business with for the last 20 years. They were the folks who actually installed the residential HVAC in this house. When we bought the place, it was very much an as is purchase. The seller just wanted to unload the property and be done with it. But there was a lot of stuff that needed to be addressed. Since we were willing to replace the heating and cooling equipment, along with lots of other improvements, we saved tens of thousands of dollars. Surprisingly, I was able to enlist the help of friends, family and experts to get the place renovated just the way we wanted it. The HVAC company we chose is the one we use today. And I called the HVAC company yesterday to set up the air conditioning tune up. This is something I do every year and is the very basis of my cost saving strategy when it comes to air conditioning. We endure a most intense summer when it comes to heat and humidity. So you have to be on top of the thermostat, keep the house sealed tight and stop peak sunlight heating. Those are the basics. But I also like to add new and different tips to the mix. This year, I’m going to not heat up the house at all by cooking outside on the grill this summer. The stove and the oven really do cut into the efficiency of the heat pump with all that heat energy. This could be a big deal for us when it comes to boosting the savings on air conditioning costs.