Over the years, I've concluded there should be one temperature setting year round on the thermostat. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit seems reasonable to me. It's warm enough in the winter and cool enough in the summer. If the thermostat is set at the same temp year round then everyone would adjust to that temperature.Instead we have the yo-yo effect from summer, winter, spring, fall and all the odd-ball weird peaks and valleys in the temperature ranges. We spend more time trying to be warm enough or cold enough when we ought to learn to put on or take off enough clothing to be comfortable.
For many years the hunk was walking around moaning and groaning about how hot he was while I was always freezing. Well, he was a couple hundred pounds overweight so of course he was hot. He was carrying around all that extra insulation! And his solution was to set the thermostat low enough that everyone else walked around with cold noses and fingers.
Now that he's lost quite a bit of his insulation, he's always cold. And now of course his solution it to turn the heat up so that the rest of us gently roast. All day. All night.
My solution is simple. If you're hot, take some clothes off. If you're cold, put some more clothes on. That way you control how hot or cold you are without making everyone else in the house or office miserable. It's a practical solution. If taking off your clothing isn't enough, find a small individual fan to sit under. Again, this is an individual solution rather than a global situation.
The truth is all of us have different personal thermostats. No household lives in temperature harmony. There is always someone who must make a compromise. However, if the temperature is set the same year round at least that person stuck with the compromise will realize that they are the ones with the issue.
In the winter this might mean extra socks, fuzzy slippers, a heavy afghan or sweater. Or... not. I have a grandchild who is always peeling her clothing off down to the bare minimum because she's hot. If the temperature of her skin is anything to go by, then yes, she's definitely hot. But hey! the thermostat says seventy so we're all good.
anny
The extra clothes thing is fine until your fingers get too cold to type. Then I grumble. Seventy seems reasonable to me!
ReplyDeleteI used to always be warm & the Spousal Unit was always cold. Now that I'm done with menopause, we've switched roles (of course, he's younger than me so he's just starting male menopause).
ReplyDeleteI bought a twin-sized electric blanket for my half of the bed and he & I swapped sides of the bed: he sleeps near the window now, and I sleep near the heating vent. So far, so good.
I wear the elastic quilting gloves for my hands when it gets cold & I have a fireplace in my home office, so I can usually stay toasty enough to write. Of course, having a 14-lb cat on my lap helps, too!
LOL:) I've endured strange looks whenever someone visits me at home in the summer time, or when we go out to eat. Reason: I'm usually bundled in sweatshirts in the 90 degree weather, because the SU has the a/c on 'freeze-out'.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, I know which restaurants will have their a/c on full blast, so don't be surprised if you see me pulling on a sweatshirt the minute we enter the establishment.
I also have a child who strips most of his clothing off the minute he arrives home. His father used to do that too, until his heart surgery.
Also on long trips in the summer time, we carry the fleece blankets in the car, due to the a/z. The SU laughs at the kids and myself, but won't turn it down.
I've come to realize that if I'm comfortable, then everyone else is too hot:)
Unless I'm having a hot flash...
I like 70 too but my other half likes things a 'certain temp' depending on the time of the year. He's always cold, I'm always hot. For me, the fall and winter months are just heaven. The rest of the time, I have a tiny little fan blowing on me.
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