Dual Climate Control

While I don't find dual climate control systems in the relatively small confines of the typical cabin in a car to be especially useful, I know some people do. Long before such a thing existed, I recall a small deflector my grandfather wired to the central vent in his car. Granny was always hot and needed extra air. He was always cold and didn't want it. A simple thing - a thin piece of wood and a small wire - but effective none the less.

Now, if he had just gotten a utility patent on the idea.

Networked Devices at Home

I have marveled at how many devices I have on my network at the house. Beyond the usual smartphones, tablets, printers, game consoles, and even laptops; I now have my thermostat on my wireless. I can control the HVAC from anywhere via a webpage or app. It was pretty cool (no pun intended) to be on vacation and remotely change the heating/cooling schedule to save a few pennies since we were out of town. (I ended up not getting a Nest even though I still think it is neat.)

I had to get a new controller for my irrigation system - it was only as I was checking the thermostats program that I realized I should have asked about one with network connectivity. It would have saved a lot of running around the house - start zone 1, walk to check it, walk back to start zone 2, etc.

If I ever have to replace the cipher lock on my front door, maybe I need to upgrade to an August lock.

Utilities Bills vs. Technology Bills

I'm a geek, but maybe I am a frugal geek, because my utilities are much more expensive than my monthly technology cost unlike the findings in this article. If you don't like words, there is a good infograph there, too.

It helps that my company provides my smartphone service, but we have the basic internet service with Knology and no home phone. We don't spend a lot on apps or other services - including an on-line backup service. (I've been tempted, but I use a combination of Dropbox, Windows Live Mesh, and USB hard drives to do the heavy lifting there.) It also helps that my daughter is only three - she probably won't need her own smart phone for another 6 months. ;)

Another factor is that my house is one big energy sink when it comes to heating and cooling. My base usage is a small number compared to the heating and cooling costs. I need a smaller house.