We experience a drought recently where the heat was kind of extreme that we had to water the plants twice a day. Our electric bill shot up to almost double not to mention the water bill all because of the drought. We have a neighbor who is always complaining of the heat. And even if they have an air conditioner, she uses it sparingly because of the cost of electricity. She's already a senior, much older than me, and she's not exactly poor or living below the poverty line. I find her just so frugal and thrifty. Come to think of it, is comfort and convenience worth the cost? My answer is yes. As long as we are comfortable at home, it doesn't matter if we spend so much.
I live in Maine. I don't own an air conditioner. Our costs come into play in the winter, with heating costs. I do have a heat pump, which provides some cooling on hot days.
Our old farmhouse in the Missouri Ozarks came with a big Timberline stove already installed, with a triple-wall stack going up through the roof. A 20 X 20 block chimney in the center of the house was original, a gas Warm Morning (propane) stove exhausted into it. Our old Elmira replaced it, and we were then wood-heat only. In 13 years there, several chain saws and lots of sharpening and replacing chain, back-breaking swinging of the 10-lb. sledge against splitting wedges, fuel for not only the saw, but the vehicle hauling back firewood, it was surely far cheaper than bought energy, and provided needed exercise. OTOH, no long stays away from the house in winter, pipes freeze quickly. So, yer tied to the place lacking convenient automatic heat. It was fun, age took it's toll, and now I'm lucky to be able to pick up the sledge and move it, much less swing it!
If it wasn't so expensive to convert from oil to wood heat, I'd think of it. I own my own woodlands, but there would still be the labor and transport, since our woods is a couple of hundred miles north of our house. Wood heat also ties someone to the house throughout the winter, since pipes freeze without heat.