It took me a while to determine what I would spend this year’s tax refund on. I have been somewhat flagrant and irresponsible with my money in the past. While I was in college, I used my first ever tax refund to throw a huge party in my shared apartment. Between liquor, food, and other indulgences, the money was spent in a matter of hours. The next few years were a slight improvement, but it’s still hard to call the purchases responsible. One year I bought a new watch while another year I decided to get an expensive cookware set from a legitimate cooking supply store. Even though my upgraded vacuum purchase last year was another improvement, I wanted this year’s tax refund to go towards something particularly responsible. I remembered that I have had on and off problems with the air conditioner in my house. Although it technically works, I have had it repaired several times in the last year and there hasn’t been a time when it wasn’t giving me trouble of some kind. I live in a warm climate which makes air conditioning even more important to me. After some research on my part, I decided that the best upgrade for my needs is a heat pump. They’re really effective at cooling indoor spaces because they literally draw the heat from your home and expel it outdoors. Compared to a refrigerant driven air conditioner, the energy used to reach the same cooling level is significantly less, making them almost unstoppable for energy efficiency. The problem is that I could never afford one until now, so it made perfect sense to finally pull the trigger on a heat pump for my house. The best part about a heat pump is that it’s a ductless HVAC option.