I guess I am one of the "hard core" also as I have disconnected my a/c compressor electrical connector. I like to run my defroster or the setting where the air comes out of the defroster and at floor level. What I did not know was the radiator cooling fan comes on whenever the a/c is supposed to come on. I noticed at night how my lights would dim slightly and you could feel the load on the engine whenever you selected the defroster. The rad fan fuse is 40 amps!
I looked in the wiring diagram for my car and found that by pulling the a/c fuse (15 amp) the fan no longer kicks on when I select defrost.
You may want to check yours.