I can always expect outrageous energy bills through the winter and summer seasons.
Although I don’t live in places as cold as northern Canada or Alaska, I can still count on cold winters year after year. I make use of my fireplace as often as I can, but I had to give up chopping wood by hand a few years ago after a shoulder injury. With wood supplies in my immediate area always waxing and waning while demand soars through December till March, I can’t always expect to have timber for my fireplace. That leaves me burning more natural gas to power my central furnace. This fuel is expensive for long term use, so more often than not I try to put up with the extreme temperatures with more clothing, but this only works in varying degrees. I look forward to April every year to mark the final end of winter and the oncoming summer season. Sadly, I get only a handful of weeks of spring weather before the heat waves set in and force me to crank down my air conditioner every afternoon to stay cool. Throughout the year, the only time when I have some respite from constant HVAC use is during the brief autumn season. In my immediate area, this is typically from the beginning of September until the first snowfalls in early to mid November. My energy bills are always at their lowest and I feel comfortable from the moment I get up in the morning until I drift back asleep at night. I just wish the autumn placidity would last me longer than six to eight weeks every year.