In 1912, a man named Arthur Miller lived in a small house in Ohio. Arthur was twenty-four years old. Arthur did not have a wife. Arthur did not have children. Arthur worked at a bank.

Arthur bought a coal-fired boiler for his house. The house was small. The house did not need a coal-fired boiler of that size. Arthur bought the boiler because he wanted the neighbors to see the coal truck. Arthur wanted the neighbors to see the black smoke.

The black smoke meant Arthur was a responsible homeowner. Arthur spent three months of his salary on the boiler. The boiler made the house too hot. Arthur had to open the windows in the winter. The boiler was a machine. But the boiler was also a performance. Arthur was performing the role of a successful man. Arthur wanted to be seen as a man who cared for his property.

The $8,740 Shingle Performance

I am Mason M.-C. I teach people about financial literacy. I show people how to save money. I show people how to invest money. I tell people to avoid debt. I tell people to buy what they need. But I made a mistake with my own house.

I bought a house in 2011. The house was in a good neighborhood. The neighbors had nice yards. The neighbors had new roofs. My roof was ten years old. The roof did not leak. The shingles were flat. The shingles were grey. I looked at the roof every day. I thought about the neighbors. I thought the neighbors looked at my roof.

I thought the neighbors thought I was lazy. I thought the neighbors thought I was broke. I was wrong. The neighbors did not care about my roof. But I cared about the neighbors. I paid a contractor $8,740. The contractor put a new roof on the house. The new roof looked like the old roof. The house felt the same. I spent $8,740 to feel like a good homeowner. I spent the money on a performance. I was wrong to spend that money.

When the Wall Becomes a Stage

Homeowners today do the same thing with air conditioning. A homeowner looks at the wall. The wall is empty. The homeowner feels a draft. Or the homeowner feels the heat. The homeowner decides to buy a system. The homeowner goes to the internet.

The homeowner sees many units. The homeowner sees big units. The homeowner sees units with many features. The homeowner wants to be responsible. The homeowner wants to be a person who buys the best thing. The homeowner thinks the best thing is the most expensive thing. The homeowner thinks a big unit shows they are a serious person. This is how the performance starts. The performance costs money.

The Math of the Room

A house has rooms. Each room has a size. Each room has a use. A bedroom needs a certain amount of cooling. A kitchen needs a different amount of cooling. The kitchen has a stove. The stove makes heat. The bedroom has people. The people make heat.

You must measure the room. You must know the BTU. BTU means British Thermal Unit. It is a measurement of heat. If a room is 400 square feet, the room might need 9,000 BTU. If the room is 600 square feet, the room might need 12,000 BTU.

Many homeowners buy a unit that is too big. They buy a 18,000 BTU unit for a small room. They think more is better. They think a big unit is a sign of a good owner. But a big unit in a small room is a bad machine.

The unit turns on. The unit turns off. The unit turns on again. This is called short cycling. Short cycling breaks the machine. Short cycling wastes electricity. The homeowner spends more money on the machine. Then the homeowner spends more money on the power bill. The homeowner is performing the role of a provider. But the provider is wasting the money.

The Skin vs. The Fruit

I peeled an orange today. I peeled the orange in one piece. I was careful. I did not rush. I took the skin off the fruit. The skin sat on the table. The skin kept the shape of the orange. The skin looked like the orange. But the skin was not the orange.

The skin was empty. A home upgrade can be like the skin of the orange. It looks like a good choice. It looks like a solid investment. But if the upgrade is for the neighbors, the upgrade is empty. The upgrade is just the skin.

The fruit is the actual comfort. The fruit is the money left in the bank account.

The culture tells the homeowner to spend. The culture says a good house has the newest technology. The culture says a good owner never waits. The culture says a house is a status symbol. This is a trap.

A house is a place to live. A house is a shelter. A house is a set of rooms. When you treat the house like a stage, you pay for the lights. You pay for the costumes. You pay for the script.

The Truth of the Zones

A homeowner should look at the actual space. A homeowner should look at the zones. Some houses need one zone. Some houses need four zones. A zone is an indoor unit. Each unit connects to an outdoor condenser. You can have a system with two zones. You can have a system with six zones.

The number of zones should match the number of rooms that need air. It should not match the number of rooms you want to show off. The choice of a system is a technical choice. It is a math problem. You add the square feet. You check the insulation. You look at the windows. You find the total BTU. This is the truth of the house. The truth of the house is not what the neighbors think. The truth of the house is the temperature of the air.

Ignoring the “Gold Standard” Sales Pitch

People worry about the installation. They worry about the wires. They worry about the line sets. They worry about the plastic covers on the outside wall. They want the installation to look perfect. They want the lines to be straight. This is good. A straight line is a sign of good work.

But some people spend too much on the look. They buy expensive covers. They hide the unit behind expensive fences. They do this so the neighbors do not see the machine. They are ashamed of the machine. But the machine is what does the work.

“I see people spend $15,000 on an HVAC system they do not understand, buying the feeling of being a ‘Gold Standard’ person.”

– Mason M.-C., Financial Literacy Coach

I talk to many people about their budgets. I see the line items. I see the “Home Improvement” category. It is often the largest category. People spend $15,000 on a HVAC system they do not understand. They buy the system because a salesman told them it was the “Gold Standard.” The salesman knows about the performance. The salesman sells the performance to the homeowner. The homeowner buys the feeling of being a “Gold Standard” person.

Buying Units, Not Feelings

You can buy a system without the performance. You can buy the parts. You can buy the indoor units. You can buy the outdoor unit. You can buy the line sets and the cables. You can buy these things from a store that understands the math.

MiniSplitsforLess is a store that focuses on the math. They do not sell the performance. They sell the units that fit the rooms. They look at the zones. They look at the BTU. They help the homeowner choose the right size.

The $22,400 Cost of Being Seen

When a homeowner chooses the right size, the homeowner saves money. The homeowner has a system that works. The machine does not short cycle. The machine lasts for fifteen years. The homeowner does not have to think about the machine. This is real comfort. Real comfort is not being seen. Real comfort is not thinking about the temperature because the temperature is correct.

I am looking at my roof now. It is a grey roof. It is a good roof. But I remember the $8,740. I think about what that money could be now. If I had invested that money in 2011, I would have more money today. I would have $22,400 today. I traded $22,400 for a feeling. I traded $22,400 to look responsible to people I do not know. I will not do that again.

When you buy a mini-split system, do not think about the performance. Do not think about the “Good Homeowner” credential. Think about the air in the bedroom. Think about the air in the living room. Buy the units that the rooms require. Do not buy the units that your ego requires. The ego is an expensive tenant. The ego never pays rent.

The process of buying an upgrade should be quiet. It should be a matter of facts. You need a 9,000 BTU unit for the office. You need a 12,000 BTU unit for the master bedroom. You need a condenser that can handle two zones. You need a 25-foot line set. These are the facts. You buy the facts. You install the facts. Then you sit in the cool air and you read a book.

You do not look out the window to see if the neighbors are watching. You do not care if the neighbors are watching. You are comfortable. You have your money. You have your air.

Arthur’s Final Lesson

Arthur Miller’s boiler eventually broke. It broke in 1924. Arthur was older then. Arthur had a wife then. Arthur had a daughter. Arthur did not buy a giant boiler the second time. Arthur bought a small heater. The small heater fit the house. Arthur did not care about the coal truck. Arthur cared about his daughter being warm.

Arthur stopped performing. Arthur started living.

This furnace stays cold because the owner only wanted the heat of being seen.

When we focus on the house, we find the truth. The house is a container for our lives. The systems in the house should serve the life inside. They should not serve the image outside. A ductless system is a tool. A heat pump is a tool. You use a tool to do a job. You do not use a tool to win a contest.

If you want to be a good homeowner, keep your money. Buy exactly what the house needs. No more. No less. Use a source like MiniSplitsforLess to find the exact units. Avoid the extras that only serve the performance.

Your bank account will be larger. Your rooms will be cooler. Your life will be your own. You will not be an actor on a stage. You will be a person in a home. That is the only credential that matters.