Well, like I explained above, the trick is to be savvy as far as how to minimize usage by leveraging other things. We have great Sun exposure (this is a factor that weighed heavily in choosing our current place, as well as our previous one) and we have our blinds open all day (during Summer) which allows in all the Sun available during the day. Our place gets warm enough from just the Sun exposure that we never run the heat during the day. At night, if we need it, we may run heat in our bedrooms while sleeping, though that is somewhat rare, as our place remains warm enough. For Summers, it is a bit trickier. After 9 or 10, we bring down the blinds, or it would be unbearably hot. Even with blinds down, AC may become necessary from time to time. I do like having windows open (more like cracked open, as few buildings allow you to actually open them more than a few inches) and if the day is windy enough, the draft can help keep things cooled nicely.