Thermostat photo courtesy of Vincent de Groot, who will know if you adjust it!
I am an individual who is always cold. It's a simple fact of nature that I will be rubbing my arms and complaining of a chill when it's 72 degrees out.
J, on the other hand, not only does not feel the cold, but he is also of a frugal nature. While I appreciate his frugality most of the time--particularly when it saves me from impulse purchases--his frugality regarding the thermostat has led to some pitched battles.
I feel that a house should be set to 72 degrees, and that twice a year you should switch from heating to cooling in order to acheive this comfortable temperature (that still requires me to wear additional clothing or blankets).
J feels that a house should be set to 62 degrees in the winter and 85 degrees in the summer.
Several years ago, I calmly explained to J that while it is reasonable to expect an individual who is always cold to throw on a few extra layers in order to save money on energy and ensure that everyone else is a comfortable temperature, that my current method of handling the cold in the house--that is, leaving my parka on, even at bedtime--was a bit excessive. J agreed to raise the temperature by a few degrees.
These days, I'm the one at home all day, and I have a loose and liberal hand with the thermostat. I wantonly raise the temperature to 67 degrees and I enjoy the freedom of only wearing three or four sweaters at a time.
But then, we got our utility bill for the month. It was higher than usual. It was not a bad number, but neither was it a good one. Discussions were had.
The long and short of it is that I'm digging out my parka for indoor use yet again.
I wonder if I can effectively type while wearing mittens.
