It’s no secret that Phoenix is located in the middle of a desert; the city is known as the Valley of The Sun. Naturally, it should be hot there given that it is in the middle of the desert. Furthermore, you will need to get used to the dry heat in Phoenix. Even though many of us have developed a love for the heat and even discovered ways to cope with it, there are times when it gets to be too much to bear. One of the hottest months on record since 1896 occurred a couple of Summers ago. The hottest month of the year is typically July, with an average temperature of 96 degrees. The temperature reached triple digits for more than 50 days in August two years ago, though. No words can even begin to convey how miserable it was outside; to say that the temperatures were extreme would be an understatement. Naturally then. I regrettably noticed the increased usage on my utility bill because I spent the majority of that month indoors in the air conditioning. In fact, I ran my air conditioner so frequently that Summer that it increased my energy bill by almost $30 a month. I maintain a thermostat setting of 76 degrees during the summer when the average high is 96 degrees. Therefore, if I try to run my air conditioner at 76 degrees while the outside temperature rises to 110 degrees, I will use a lot more energy to try to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Therefore, even though I paid significantly more because I used more energy that Summer, I’m glad I have air conditioning because I’m not sure how I would have survived the summer in Phoenix without it.