I don't necessarily disagree with the article but where I live I spend far more on cooling than heating. I can walk around with minimal clothing but if it is 1

I don't necessarily disagree with the article but where I live I spend far more on cooling than heating. I can walk around with minimal clothing but if it is 100F outside I am going to need to run the air conditioner. I spent $5000 on insulation upgrades and enclosing the crawlspace. The house originally had 2 separate 2.0 ton SEER 8 units. They lasted 14 and 17 years. They were replaced with 2.5 ton SEER 18 variable speed compressors that can also use the heat pump for heating. The house is so much more comfortable now. When it was 100F outside the old systems could only get the indoor temp down to 81F. Now they can get down to 70F if I want. The variable speed keeps the compressor running at a low rate to continue dehumidification without cooling too quickly. I had multiple electric bills in July/August of $300 and since the upgrades my high is $180. The crawl space enclosure with a tiny HVAC vent keeps the crawlspace at 60F in the winter which has the added benefit of keeping the water temperature reasonable and not having to wait 45 seconds to get warmer water to wash your hands. My natural gas bills for heating used to be around $110 in the winter and now they have dropped to $50. The systems are set to to use the heat pump for heating until the outside temp drops below 40F and then switch to natural gas.