Keeping my parents comfortable

My parents were able to retire at the same time, even though Mom is five years older than Pop. They were very excited to get to work on their various art projects and other endeavors. We talked of many road trip adventures that they could now take along with other benefits of retirement.

All of this newfound freedom also meant that now they are on a fixed income. They can plan for trips and such, but everything is on a budget. They are comfortable, but extras are not really part of the plan.

Like many other places, summers in our home town started to get hot a couple years ago. The top five hottest days to date in our town all occurred in the last three years. The same can be said for hottest months and entire summers. Naturally, I started to worry about the health of my parents. My parents both always claimed that they were fine when I brought up the heat, but that did not stop me from worrying for them.

At my urging, that first summer they got a window unit for the bedroom. During the heat of the day they spent most of their time on the porch. I still worried about them sitting out there, even in the shade. They said that iced tea and a wet bandana worked fine for them. No matter what anyone says, a 100 degree day is dangerous, even if you are young.

This spring I got a raise and I decided to make sure that my parents were able to stay inside during the hottest days of the year. I went to AC-World, and got my parents a multi-zone ductless air conditioning system. The installation was easy enough for me to do myself and it cools most of the first floor quite comfortably, at a lower operating cost than a traditional AC unit would be. It even comes with a heating capability, so they can cheaply heat specific parts of the home during the winter. I’m pretty much the best son ever.