Since I live in the northern part of the country, I spend the majority of the year with the furnace running.
It is not unusual to operate the furnace for eight months straight.
It is not necessary to have any type of cooling system. For most of my life, I have gotten along just fine without air conditioning. I enjoy opening the windows and letting in fresh air. I don’t really mind the heat, and if the house felt uncomfortably sticky, I simply ran an electric fan. When I started having severe troubles with allergies, my doctor recommended that I have a central cooling system installed in my home. Having the windows open was allowing in all sorts of contaminants, such as pollen, dust, and exhaust fumes. This was aggravating my allergy symptoms, causing headaches, congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, and sore throats. I felt so miserable at times that I didn’t want to get out of bed. Instead of taking strong doses of medication, the doctor suggested that I takes steps to improve my environment. Investing in central cooling has made a huge difference in my health and comfort. I now keep the windows closed at all times. Although I miss the influx of outside air, I am happy to avoid pollutants, exterior noise pollution, and odors. My house is definitely cleaner, and I feel far better. I even sleep more peacefully with the sound of the air conditioner and the feel of the cool air circulating. Plus, the cooling unit features a multi stage filtration system which helps to remove airborne particulate.