Segmenting Our Home to Stretch Our Support

We had an idea that saves money, is ecologically beneficial and promotes family unity.

We divided up our home.

The price of electricity in Puerto Rico is very high. But when the temperature and humidity are both high, air-conditioning is not thought of as a luxury, but as a necessity. Using it helps our health and preserves our possessions.

We remembered that when we lived in the cold north, we would heat just a portion of the house to save on the heating bill. We applied that same thinking here in Puerto Rico for the reverse of that problem.

We put up some interior doors that segment our house and allow us to air-condition just one smaller area at a time. This keeps us cooler for less money and also motivates us to share the same room more often.

The interior doors also have the added benefit of buffering the noise from one end of the house, where we have the piano, so we can have a quieter evening at the other end, where we have our front room and dining area.

So, even though the doors were an expense, they are paying for themselves and giving us additional benefits, not the least of which is helping stretch our missionary support so that we can remain on the field.