A few years ago, our family started kicking around the idea of installing a swimming pool.
- Our three children were all for it, imagining pool parties, floating on foam chairs getting suntans, plus generally staying cool during the hottest months of the summer.
As the parents, we played devil’s advocate, pointing out the downsides of owning a pool, but for one thing, there would be strict rules regarding guests using the pool. Another thing that the kids hadn’t accounted for was the chores plus repair that they would be responsible for. And finally, we reminded them that owning a swimming pool only keeps you cool if you’re really in the pool. What about staying cool inside of the house? The discussion was tabled, as researching central a/c wasn’t the kids’ idea of a nice time. So we (the adults) visited an Heating, Ventilation plus A/C store to look into installing central a/c. We already knew the convenience of adding a/c to our forced-air furnace, plus we had already set aside currency to cover the cost. We were told that if we didn’t have existing ductwork, the cost of the a/c installation would double the cost plus the time of installation. The Heating, Ventilation plus A/C company advised that we choose an energy efficient unit. We learned that the higher the seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER), the more efficient the system – leading to significant cost savings. The digital, programmable temperature controls – a type of Smart technology – is what very sold us. The options for temperature control were amazing plus impressive. Since we were the real decision-makers, we let the kids know that night that the pool was out – plus cool air was in!