On the first official day of summer, as the outside temperature in Phoenix climbed to a moderate 104 degrees, my partner eyed me cautiously and broached the question he knew I was dreading.
“I think it’s time to lower our AC.”
I sighed. We can’t, I protested. Our utility company was already sending us warning emails that our bill would “exceed the threshold you had set” (blame the 111- and 113-degree days that preceded this). On Friday, June 20, summer had only officially begun – though we’d been in triple digit territory for the better part of two months – and we couldn’t give in now, in this economy…