Economics

We had a bad spell of hot whether this past week. So hot, in fact, that we actually turned the air-conditioning on in the house. I know that’s not really big news, as I know some people who don’t have any AC in the house, while others close their windows the first day of summer and crank down the thermostat until fall arrives. But on the farm, flipping the switch is a measured move, not one to be taken lightly. Analyzing the use of air conditioning in my house is an example in the study of economics.

The American Economic Association states “Economics can actually be defined a few different ways: It’s the study of scarcity, the study of how people use resources, or the study of decision-making.”

In the first area of study – scarcity, I will touch on electricity. If I turn on the air conditioning in the house our electrical bill goes up. The local electrical cooperative doesn’t give electricity away – they charge for it by the kilowatt-hour. I don’t actually know what that means other than if I use electricity I must pay for it, as it is scarce (try and find it during a blackout) and cost money to produce. My dad used to ask, “Who’s paying the light bill around here?” when we left a light on in an unattended room. Nowadays, lights are probably a minor player in domestic electrical consumption.

The second area of study is the use of resources. My wife, Rhonda, and I both like having the windows open in the house. It doesn’t cost us anything to let the breeze blow through the screens and through the house. The sounds of the night can be rather soothing for snoozing: crickets chirping, trucks on the highway below the hill, and the distant train horn are all quite peaceful. This is all well and good when the temperature is in the “good sleeping weather” range.

The final area is how we make the decision of using the air-conditioner. I prefer cooler temperatures to warm and cold, instead of hot. Rhonda is the opposite. When I want to turn “the air” on she resists because “it’s summer and it’s nice.” Anything above the mid-seventies, and I begin to become uncomfortable and start removing clothing. I know there is only so far a person can go in that direction before the police are summoned for a violation of public decency.

However, if I push the issue and insist on flipping the switch, Rhonda will reach for a sweatshirt because she’s cold. I see nothing wrong with that, but she finds the layered look out-of-season for July. You see, Rhonda can tolerate temperatures in the mid-eighties before she gets warm.

So this past week the air-conditioner was turned on and the house was cooled. But normally, for lesser temperatures we negotiate and compromise; we turn the fans on and open the windows. During such nights when I am warm, I lay wide-awake on top of the sheets listening to the crickets chirp and think this hot weather has to brake soon – like maybe September or October.