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There is a difference between defrost and defog. Defog works better with A/C (dryer air and all that). Defroster works better without A/C (melting ice with cold air is so effective). The air conditioner gets cold way faster than the engine gets hot.
If it was just an issue of the first few minutes of driving, I wouldn't be as concerned. But my Escape is very prone to fogging up when it rains, more so than any other car I've owned. That means that if I drive in the rain, I have to constantly turn on the A/C to defog. A steady draft across the windshield would do the same, but I don't have the option. Hence, I see a switch in my future.
Likewise, I suspect that the heater core is always hot because when I turn on the vent, the air is warmer than ambient. I can find no indication of a heater flow cutoff valve. Turning off the heat will require a valve, motor and switch, a little more involved than the A/C switch.
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