I grew up, went to college and spent many years living in the northeastern part of the country.
I was very accustomed to especially long, snowy and bitterly cold winters.
The furnace ran for approximately eight months per year. I often needed to shovel the walkways and driveway multiple times per day. A wool coat, heavy boots, ice scraper and snow shovel were necessities. When I was able to arrange my job so that I can handle everything online and work from home, I immediately relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida. I now run the air conditioner just about year round. Even in the middle of winter, the nighttime temperature rarely falls below fifty-five degrees. My new home is not even equipped with a heating system. I no longer worry about pipes freezing, the weight of the snow on the roof or icy roads. My concern is issues with humidity. The climate in St. Petersburg is excessively humid. While the air conditioner pulls heat out of the air, it isn’t designed to handle such an abundance of moisture. Because overly humid air feels warmer and rather sticky, it can be tempting to lower the thermostat. I quickly realized that this adds to the strain of the air conditioner and results in much higher energy bills without solving the problem. I also tried portable dehumidifiers. They provided very little benefit and yet required a great deal of work. The reservoirs filled up very fast and became a source of mold growth. I finally consulted with a local St. Petersburg HVAC contractor and invested into a whole-home dehumidifier. The improvement to comfort has been amazing.