A $200 office monitor can still get you close if you set it up right. I've seen people drop $400 on a calibrator and still ship flat oranges because they never checked the paper profile or the lighting in their room. The Fresno guy probably had a better handle on his whole workflow, not just fancier gear. Your mileage may vary, but a cheap screen plus good habits beat expensive gear with sloppy habits most days.

Did you actually notice the room feeling cooler with the heat pump, or was that just a guess on your end? Forty percent less energy sounds nice on paper until you're up at 6am trying to beat the rate hike. That slow cycle would drive me nuts with a family, but if you're home during the day anyway it might not matter. The $19 drop is real money though, so I get why you're torn.