Author Topic: Thermostat at 63  (Read 47708 times)

Eric222

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #50 on: November 26, 2015, 06:29:23 AM »
If you want to push your tolerance even lower, 1) lift weights, and 2) spend more time outside so it feels warmer inside. ;)
...

FWIW, biking to work when it is 20-30F does this amazingly well!  I'm now officially always the warmest person in the room.  Midwest cold tolerance activate!

lizzzi

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #51 on: November 26, 2015, 06:46:11 AM »
My daughter came into my 65 degree house for supper last night, and rather pointedly put her winter coat back on. Being the caring hostess that I am, I cranked the heat up to 68. God, I just about roasted to death.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #52 on: November 26, 2015, 07:47:15 AM »
Somehow our toddler has survived night time temperatures of 60 degrees.  We had to take the unusual steps of . . . clothing the boy . . . but this should be possible for most people with the right training.

Gloves and a hat too? Infants can't have blankets so you're stuck with those sleep sack things, but the arms/hands are completely exposed. If I sleep with a comforter, you'd think a baby would need more than a cotton PJ and fleece "blanket"

The post said 'toddler' not 'infant'.  Our toddler has the following at night:

- Thick flannel pyjamas (long sleeve)
- Thick socks (wool)
- Thick blanket

He sleeps just fine, but occasionally gets too hot and pushes the blanket off.

Nobody needs gloves and a hat at 60 F.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #53 on: November 26, 2015, 09:32:57 AM »
24 outside
60 inside…sometimes we get a little crazy and crank it up to 64. 

Kids are running around in shorts and no shirts.   

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #54 on: November 26, 2015, 05:51:28 PM »
My daughter came into my 65 degree house for supper last night, and rather pointedly put her winter coat back on. .

That is nuts. 65 is not winter coat temperature. 65 is the temperature that is often scientifically defined as the lower range of "room temperature." It is also the temperature many businesses and homes cool the air to in summer (or even warmer than a lot of AC overusers cool to). Even in the South (heck, even when I lived in Key West), I don't think I ever saw anyone outside don a full-on winter coat walking around in 65 degree weather. This is what sweaters and sweatshirts and long sleeves in general are for.


59 or 60 degrees also does not require hats or gloves, infant or not. Don't wear cotton in the winter! Wear it in summer. They make infant sleep sacks in micro fleece. Somewhere our great-great-grandparents who did not have central heat are laughing their asses off. These temperatures are not life-threatening. This is a case of what you are used to or not used to.


What is really a pet peeve of mine is that some people actually tolerate cooler temps in summer than in winter. That is not only totally illogical and wasteful and expensive, but also really bad for the environment. I'm certainly not paying to pretend the planet reverses its position each season in my house. I'd rather take the seasons I'm given for free with no carbon emissions.

/rant :)
« Last Edit: November 26, 2015, 05:53:37 PM by Making Cents »

reader2580

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #55 on: November 26, 2015, 06:00:20 PM »
I think you would have to be crazy to air condition at 65 degrees or even 70 degrees.  I was at a friend's house about five years ago doing work outside in humid 90 degree weather.  He had his air conditioner set to 72 or 73 and it was going into a walk in cooler.  Most of my co-workers work in an office across town from mine.  That office is leased and landlord keeps it so cold in the summer that many people wear long sleeves.  It is a LEED certified building and you you would think they would not waste so much energy on air conditioning.

Since I was home all morning today I turned the temperature up to normal, but I forgot to set it back when I left for Thanksgiving dinner.  Oh well, it was probably 10 cents or less for that extra nine degrees for six hours.

lizzzi

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #56 on: November 26, 2015, 07:26:23 PM »
One of my brothers--born and raised in northern Ohio--lived and worked in Texas for several years. Poking fun at southerners, he always said that in the summer it was 100 degrees outside and 60 degrees inside. In the winter it was 60 degrees outside, and 100 degrees inside.  : D

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #57 on: November 26, 2015, 07:56:36 PM »
As far as I am concerned... 68F is the perfect temp. That is our daytime temperature and we let it fall to 63F at night.  In college we lived at 60F all day (west MI) so I can appreciate the sacrifice that many here are making!

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #58 on: November 26, 2015, 10:52:47 PM »
One of my brothers--born and raised in northern Ohio--lived and worked in Texas for several years. Poking fun at southerners, he always said that in the summer it was 100 degrees outside and 60 degrees inside. In the winter it was 60 degrees outside, and 100 degrees inside.  : D

Exactly. Maybe it's the little bit of Yankee left in me?!

I turn up the heat in winter for my husband's family (from TX) but my family (from NY and Mass) and friends visiting from Europe always decline when I offer because they keep their houses the same and think it's silly to crank it up.

Sacrifice is not a word I would use for living in a house that is 59-64 during the day and 55ish at night. It's just common sense. I would rather wear winter clothing because it's winter and have a hundred extra bucks in my pocket every month.

Your body will acclimate to changing seasons if you let it. I am too warm in people's houses when they keep it at 68 in winter and too chilly in summer (especially since I work outside in summer) when the house is below about 74.

GuitarStv

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #59 on: November 27, 2015, 06:57:57 AM »
How many of the people who are fine with indoor temperatures that follow outdoor temperatures bike to work, or regularly do outdoor activities all year long?  How many of the people who think that children will die at 60 degrees F spend the entire winter in climate controlled buildings?

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #60 on: November 27, 2015, 09:34:45 AM »
How many of the people who are fine with indoor temperatures that follow outdoor temperatures bike to work, or regularly do outdoor activities all year long?  How many of the people who think that children will die at 60 degrees F spend the entire winter in climate controlled buildings?

I'm an archaeologist so sometimes spend about 50 hours/week working outside... but as I get older and teach more, this is less and less and only in summers. I do now (to my embarrassment) spend most of the winter working in front of a computer in climate controlled buildings. I fantasize about being able to walk to work, but that is not possible with my husband's and my jobs and I do commute in a climate controlled car.

Our indoor temperatures "follow" outdoor temps only in the sense that they fluctuate seasonally. In the dead of winter or peak of summer, the temperature inside our house even with our reasonably frugal thermostat settings is still some 20-25 degrees different from what it is outdoors during the extremes of the day/night.

reader2580

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #61 on: November 27, 2015, 10:17:25 AM »
Sacrifice is not a word I would use for living in a house that is 59-64 during the day and 55ish at night. It's just common sense. I would rather wear winter clothing because it's winter and have a hundred extra bucks in my pocket every month.

How much do you spending on heat if you are saving $100 a month by lowering the temperature by five to ten degrees below typical?  I keep a 1,300 square foot house in Minneapolis, MN at 69 degrees when home and cooler at night and not at home.  My highest heating bill last winter was $105.  My house is pretty typical for a 1980 house, but I did have new windows installed and the attic air sealed with spray foam.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #62 on: November 27, 2015, 10:33:29 AM »
If you want to push your tolerance even lower, 1) lift weights, and 2) spend more time outside so it feels warmer inside. ;)

This is our approach: we have a home gym outside, and do a good lifting session to bump our "internal" thermostat. We are limited though by having a geriatric dog who we love very much, and a complaining Brother who... well, we don't want him to freeze, anyway ;)

We keep it at 64 usually (DH and I both have weird schedules and are home most of the time), and turn it to 66 when Brother is home all day (rarely happens). The past few days Dog has been recovering from surgery, though, so we've had it up at 68 since she was shivery and sad.

If we remember, we will sometimes turn it down to 62 at night, but since Brother turns his space heater on high then, it tends to defeat any savings- the gas furnace is much cheaper than the $$ electric space heater, even for 1 room.

How many of the people who are fine with indoor temperatures that follow outdoor temperatures bike to work, or regularly do outdoor activities all year long?  How many of the people who think that children will die at 60 degrees F spend the entire winter in climate controlled buildings?

DH and I work indoors, but for DH that is from home most days, and for me, it's only 2 days per week. But we walk to groceries and work out outdoors, so even 64 is toasty inside by comparison.

It's funny about people thinking the cold is so brutal for children and all that. Do you kids not play any sports outdoors, or hike or camp, or go outside at recess? That's just a baffling concept to me. We all spent more time outside than in as children. Even if it was frozen outside, or (much more common) raining, Mom would just hand us the appropriate jacket and we would still go outside to play.

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #63 on: November 27, 2015, 11:12:14 AM »
Sacrifice is not a word I would use for living in a house that is 59-64 during the day and 55ish at night. It's just common sense. I would rather wear winter clothing because it's winter and have a hundred extra bucks in my pocket every month.

How much do you spending on heat if you are saving $100 a month by lowering the temperature by five to ten degrees below typical?

Taking into account that this all varies depending on your house, gas/electric, and regional prices, here is my experience this year.

Last year, our bills were all over $100 with one exception. February and July both exceeded $200/month. I estimate the average bill around $150 (last year isn't in Mint). The thermostat was usually not excessive by the average American's standard (mostly low to mid 60s in winter?)... though this varied considerably depending on whether it was me or my husband who was home and in charge! I also can't say how much of that expense was my better half's crazy window habit (see below!).

This year, through a combination of raising windows on summer nights and late fall afternoons as well as setting the thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer, almost all of our bills are in the $50-65 range (lower than any of our previous bills). We did have a high bill for July/Aug at $126 when night time temps were still too high to open windows and sleep comfortably, but that is the only bill that exceeded $85 this year and it still beat last year's July/Aug bill by almost $90. Overall, we have cut our electric bills for the year very nearly in half. So I'm estimating that we'll save over $600 this year.

Our house (1490 sq ft) was built in 1940 and still has its original windows. The attic desperately needs to be reinsulated as well (this is in the works).

My husband has always been very careless with heat/air. I have come home in late fall before to find the heat cranked up past 70 and the door wide open while he is happily working outside in a hat and coat in his garage shop! He frequently opens windows because the house is "stuffy" and then forgets to  close them before turning on heat or AC. So this year in our quest to take charge of our finances, he is finally (more or less) on board with lowering our bills and i'm grateful for that because it is making a huge difference.

Edit: Just to clarify, we're on electric heat, so I'm talking about all of my electricity bill here since I can't isolate heat/ac. We have also cut down on unused lights and "vampire" drains of microwave etc, but I think it's pretty clear that most of our savings is from the thermostat.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2015, 11:23:22 AM by Making Cents »

bigalsmith101

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #64 on: November 29, 2015, 01:24:49 PM »
It's less than 62* in our house right now, and I'm sitting on the couch in a tank top and shorts, barefoot. Wifey on the other hand hates this shit.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #65 on: November 29, 2015, 02:44:55 PM »
We normally set it to 63 when we are home and 55 when we are away or asleep.  I'm comfortable, but exist in fleece pants and a fleece jacket all winter. Usually sitting under a blanket. At night it is plenty warm in bed, so I sleep in the same tshirt and shirts as in the summer.

My parents were here so it got bumped to 67 and I was wearing a t-shirt all week; husband in a t-shirt and shorts.  Way too warm for winter!


Oh- my summer temps? 78 or 80 when we are home; 84 when we are not.  We sleep with a fan on as well.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2015, 05:11:13 PM by iowajes »

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #66 on: November 29, 2015, 04:53:10 PM »
Ok, I'm cutting back to 61 in the day time, and I'm joining you bad ass 55 degree night time people. I'm looking forward to comparing the next bill to the one from the same time last year.

Neustache

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #67 on: November 29, 2015, 05:09:21 PM »
Oh man, yeah, I'm not that badass.

But I have lowered it from our normal 72 to 68 during the day.  I'd love a programmable thermostat, though, so it's up to 68 when hubby gets ready if I turn it down lower than that at night. 

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #68 on: November 29, 2015, 05:27:40 PM »
15C at night, lots of blankets.  The dog doesn't help even if she is on the bed, she is too well insulated.

Day, set at 18 - sometimes I am cold and turn it up to 19, sometimes it is too hot and I turn it down to 17.  On a sunny day in mid-winter the thermostat can be at 18 and the house will be at 22.  Warm slippers and clothes help, it is just my hands that get cold sometimes.

Summer I crank the AC up at night (down to 22 ) so the effect carries over all day (yes, time-of-day billing certainly affects my electricity use).  But this is only when the nights are hot, if I can cool the house with open windows at night I go that route.  I may have the AC on maybe 10 days over the summer?  But summers are getting hotter, when I was a kid we didn't have AC and we were fine. 

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #69 on: November 29, 2015, 05:44:19 PM »
Somehow our toddler has survived night time temperatures of 60 degrees.  We had to take the unusual steps of . . . clothing the boy . . . but this should be possible for most people with the right training.

Gloves and a hat too? Infants can't have blankets so you're stuck with those sleep sack things, but the arms/hands are completely exposed. If I sleep with a comforter, you'd think a baby would need more than a cotton PJ and fleece "blanket"

They sell infant sleep sacks that cover the arms and hands, and cold weather swaddles too. IIRC, warm rooms are actually linked with SIDS.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #70 on: November 29, 2015, 07:38:34 PM »
I decorate with poinsettias through the holiday season...let's say Dec. 1 through Jan. 15. Can I keep my thermostat set to 55 at night? I've been reading that the plants are unhappy if the temp goes down below 60. Anybody have personal experience with this?

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #71 on: November 29, 2015, 09:38:35 PM »
Ok, I'm cutting back to 61 in the day time, and I'm joining you bad ass 55 degree night time people. I'm looking forward to comparing the next bill to the one from the same time last year.

Awesome! I hope you'll post an update to let us know how it goes. If you missed the temperature tapering off gradually in your region you can always try lowering by a couple degrees at a time while your body catches up.

I  really like sleeping in a cold house in winter, cuddled up under extra covers (and seriously, after 5 minutes under these things I'm roasting no matter what the temperature in the house). It's one of the few thing I prefer about winter. Unfortunately, temps are back up around here tonight -- a whopping 64 leftover from daytime open windows despite no heat on! No hibernating for me... :/
« Last Edit: November 29, 2015, 09:40:26 PM by Making Cents »

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #72 on: November 29, 2015, 09:47:33 PM »
I decorate with poinsettias through the holiday season...let's say Dec. 1 through Jan. 15. Can I keep my thermostat set to 55 at night? I've been reading that the plants are unhappy if the temp goes down below 60. Anybody have personal experience with this?

I don't buy poinsettias, but my mother was crazy for them and growing up we had a couple dozen every year. My father kept our house at 55 not just at night but during the day as well. The only time he ever allowed anyone to turn it up was during annual holiday parties. My mom's plants always made it through New Year's looking gorgeous (though they were placed near the radiators).

Eric222

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #73 on: November 30, 2015, 05:43:08 AM »
Last night was cold!  I left my electric blanket on low.  So cozy!  I wonder what the cost of the electric blanket is versus the cost of heating my apartment for the night?  I'll have to dig out my kill-o-watt.  I can guess though!

Making Cents

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #74 on: November 30, 2015, 06:12:09 AM »
My parents had an electric blanket but I never got into it for some reason. We use a synthetic down comforter that is way too hot in summer. Those (or real down if allergies aren't a problem) are great because you can get different weights/warmth ratings. Over that we have a bedspread which is thin but also very warm because it's a synthetic blend, and then if needed there is a wool blend blanket and a fleece blanket to go over top. We have used three but have never needed all four (and my husband grew up in the south with a family that heated to summer temps in winter, so if he's ok you know it is warm).

In summer we just go with one lighter comforter that is fluffy but not dense.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #75 on: December 04, 2015, 09:10:53 AM »
As far as I am concerned... 68F is the perfect temp. That is our daytime temperature and we let it fall to 63F at night.  In college we lived at 60F all day (west MI) so I can appreciate the sacrifice that many here are making!

i agree, i set the a/c at 68 to sleep in, just a little edge of coolness at that temp imo.

if it goes under 68, i'm perfectly fine with it; living in Houston its not going to stay under that very long; allthough it was 59 inside this morning because a cool front is passing thru; should be up to upper 60s inside by monday.

Orvell

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #76 on: December 04, 2015, 09:15:48 AM »
Question for you folks:
I keep my house at 62 degrees both when I'm home and when I'm not. Because I have a cat. A cat who is 6.6lbs and tiny and she can't put on a coat.
Am I being crazy? Pre cat I would drop it to 55 degrees when I left.

Thoughts?

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #77 on: December 04, 2015, 09:20:52 AM »
You are being a teeny tiny silly.  But I understand why.

My in-laws inherited a cat from their daughter in law and it stays outside.  Squirrels seem to manage, loads of other mammals manage, and it gets COLD here in Missouri. 

Your cat will survive the 55 degree temp.  Put a blanket out for her, in a spot of sun, she'll be fine. 


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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #78 on: December 04, 2015, 09:27:36 AM »
You are being a teeny tiny silly.  But I understand why.

My in-laws inherited a cat from their daughter in law and it stays outside.  Squirrels seem to manage, loads of other mammals manage, and it gets COLD here in Missouri. 

Your cat will survive the 55 degree temp.  Put a blanket out for her, in a spot of sun, she'll be fine.
Hahah.
Yeah. :) Sometimes the silly overrules the logic. I'll drop it to 58 for a few days while I'm gone and see how it goes.
Thanks!

GuitarStv

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #79 on: December 04, 2015, 09:33:43 AM »
Before we adopted her, my small dog was originally picked up by the pound while sleeping outside during a week that the average temperature was about -10 C.  Animals are pretty tolerant regarding cold temperatures.  When it gets cold she curls up into a doggy donut and seems just fine.

Orvell

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #80 on: December 04, 2015, 09:35:31 AM »
Before we adopted her, my small dog was originally picked up by the pound while sleeping outside during a week that the average temperature was about -10 C.  Animals are pretty tolerant regarding cold temperatures.  When it gets cold she curls up into a doggy donut and seems just fine.
For the record doggy donut is the cutest thing I've ever heard.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #81 on: December 04, 2015, 09:41:29 AM »
When we lived in Maine and kept the heat at 55, I had down quilts at the end of beds for our cats to snuggle into. One of my cats is a burrower and I would inevitably come home to find her under one of the quilts. The rest were happy curled up on top.


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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #82 on: December 04, 2015, 09:42:48 AM »
Question for you folks:
I keep my house at 62 degrees both when I'm home and when I'm not. Because I have a cat. A cat who is 6.6lbs and tiny and she can't put on a coat.
Am I being crazy? Pre cat I would drop it to 55 degrees when I left.

Thoughts?

Is she a hairless cat? Otherwise, she has a coat.

I leave a fleece blanket on the couch for my dog, and she sometimes cuddles into it, but otherwise she is fine with the low temperature.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #83 on: December 04, 2015, 10:48:24 AM »
Question for you folks:
I keep my house at 62 degrees both when I'm home and when I'm not. Because I have a cat. A cat who is 6.6lbs and tiny and she can't put on a coat.
Am I being crazy? Pre cat I would drop it to 55 degrees when I left.

Thoughts?

I would worry about doing it if you comb her out heavily. But if you let it cool off with the seasons, they will just grow a thicker undercoat. Those things are physics mastery, and can trap a lot of heat next to the skin, with all sorts of awesome radiant currents to keep their skin warm but still dry. They use their arrector pili (the tiny muscles that stand hairs up) to find the optimal spot for air pocketing. Most animals have a much better coat that us- they can customize it second by second!

Let her be fluffy, and she'll be warm =)

ETA: because animals are SO COOL. Contraction of the arrector pili also helps sebum coat the hair shaft, making it "waxy", which keeps it warmer and prevents breakage in dry climates. That's why animals get oily when kept outdoors- the higher the frequency of contraction the more sebum is coated on. Feedback loops!
« Last Edit: December 04, 2015, 10:50:07 AM by Bracken_Joy »

Orvell

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #84 on: December 04, 2015, 04:26:44 PM »
Question for you folks:
I keep my house at 62 degrees both when I'm home and when I'm not. Because I have a cat. A cat who is 6.6lbs and tiny and she can't put on a coat.
Am I being crazy? Pre cat I would drop it to 55 degrees when I left.

Thoughts?

I would worry about doing it if you comb her out heavily. But if you let it cool off with the seasons, they will just grow a thicker undercoat. Those things are physics mastery, and can trap a lot of heat next to the skin, with all sorts of awesome radiant currents to keep their skin warm but still dry. They use their arrector pili (the tiny muscles that stand hairs up) to find the optimal spot for air pocketing. Most animals have a much better coat that us- they can customize it second by second!

Let her be fluffy, and she'll be warm =)

ETA: because animals are SO COOL. Contraction of the arrector pili also helps sebum coat the hair shaft, making it "waxy", which keeps it warmer and prevents breakage in dry climates. That's why animals get oily when kept outdoors- the higher the frequency of contraction the more sebum is coated on. Feedback loops!
HUH! Great intel!
She's a short/medium length hair cat, so I don't really comb her at all. XD
Thanks for the reply!

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #85 on: December 04, 2015, 04:40:02 PM »
Question for you folks:
I keep my house at 62 degrees both when I'm home and when I'm not. Because I have a cat. A cat who is 6.6lbs and tiny and she can't put on a coat.
Am I being crazy? Pre cat I would drop it to 55 degrees when I left.

Thoughts?

I would worry about doing it if you comb her out heavily. But if you let it cool off with the seasons, they will just grow a thicker undercoat. Those things are physics mastery, and can trap a lot of heat next to the skin, with all sorts of awesome radiant currents to keep their skin warm but still dry. They use their arrector pili (the tiny muscles that stand hairs up) to find the optimal spot for air pocketing. Most animals have a much better coat that us- they can customize it second by second!

Let her be fluffy, and she'll be warm =)

ETA: because animals are SO COOL. Contraction of the arrector pili also helps sebum coat the hair shaft, making it "waxy", which keeps it warmer and prevents breakage in dry climates. That's why animals get oily when kept outdoors- the higher the frequency of contraction the more sebum is coated on. Feedback loops!
HUH! Great intel!
She's a short/medium length hair cat, so I don't really comb her at all. XD
Thanks for the reply!

Of course! Just because my first college degree was an economic waste doesn't mean it doesn't come in handy on the internet! =D

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #86 on: December 04, 2015, 04:45:13 PM »
So far we haven't turned on the furnace yet. But we live where the temps have just started dipping into the high 40s (F) at night and staying in the 50s during the day. Average temp in the house is around 65˚. House drops to around 59˚ at night and I just turn on my electric blanket if I get chilled. But that's only sitting on the couch in the living room. We sleep with just standard cotton quilts on the bed (no heater/electric anything) and we're sleeping GOOD. :)
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 11:27:23 AM by Frankies Girl »

tonysemail

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #87 on: December 04, 2015, 04:58:39 PM »
I love threads like this.  So funny!

I get by at 63F and I get a lot of dirty looks from visiting family.
it's no wonder that nobody believes i can FIRE "comfortably".

lizzzi

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #88 on: December 04, 2015, 05:00:47 PM »
I decorate with poinsettias through the holiday season...let's say Dec. 1 through Jan. 15. Can I keep my thermostat set to 55 at night? I've been reading that the plants are unhappy if the temp goes down below 60. Anybody have personal experience with this?

I don't buy poinsettias, but my mother was crazy for them and growing up we had a couple dozen every year. My father kept our house at 55 not just at night but during the day as well. The only time he ever allowed anyone to turn it up was during annual holiday parties. My mom's plants always made it through New Year's looking gorgeous (though they were placed near the radiators).

The poinsettias have been fine at 60 degrees. I put the night time thermostat back down to 55...it's been getting as low as 57 in the house...the poinsettias are still fine. Red, perky, looking happy, very decorative.


asauer

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #89 on: December 04, 2015, 05:36:24 PM »
We keep ours at 67 during the day 64 at night at 59 when away for longer than a half a day.  It's totally my fault.  My husband and kids would be fine at 65 during the day.  I'm a southern wuss.

Jack

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #90 on: December 10, 2015, 06:28:27 AM »
I have my thermostat set to 65 when waking up/taking a shower, 63 during the day (since my wife and I currently work different schedules and therefore one of us is often home), and 50 at night.

(We have a cat, by the way, and left the thermostat at 50 24/7 when we went out of town for Thanksgiving. She survived.)

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #91 on: December 12, 2015, 09:26:59 AM »
Ok, I'm cutting back to 61 in the day time, and I'm joining you bad ass 55 degree night time people. I'm looking forward to comparing the next bill to the one from the same time last year.

Awesome! I hope you'll post an update to let us know how it goes. If you missed the temperature tapering off gradually in your region you can always try lowering by a couple degrees at a time while your body catches up.

I  really like sleeping in a cold house in winter, cuddled up under extra covers (and seriously, after 5 minutes under these things I'm roasting no matter what the temperature in the house). It's one of the few thing I prefer about winter. Unfortunately, temps are back up around here tonight -- a whopping 64 leftover from daytime open windows despite no heat on! No hibernating for me... :/

Updating...

Here are my energy bills from last Winter 2014 / 2015. This is for both electric and natural gas. It includes fixed charges as well as actual usage.

Billing date / Bill Amount (rounded to nearest dollar)
11/08/2014   $  91
12/10/2014   $140
01/12/2015   $166
02/10/2015   $152
03/12/2015   $150
04/10/2015   $100

Unfortunately, while the local utility charges less than the national average for natural gas and electricity, it charges higher than average fixed charges, such as “meter charges”, “delivery charges”, and “customer charges”. That it reduces the financial incentive to conserve.

In fact, despite having average Sun, my city is rated one of the worst in the U.S. for solar power due to lack of financial incentives and the perverse incentive of low energy rates but high fixed utility charges.

Here are my electric and gas bills for this more Mustachian season, I will update as they come in.

11/08/2015   $  73   ($18 less than same period last year)
12/11/2015   $  91   ($49 less than same period last year)

FerrumB5

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #92 on: December 12, 2015, 12:04:27 PM »
Looks like I'm not the only one who says - "what the fuck!" when actual usage charge is lower than or comparable to delivery charges on gas and/or electric bills. No really, what the fuck

patrat

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #93 on: December 12, 2015, 02:59:35 PM »
60 during the day, 55 at night, A brief leap to 68 in the morning for 1 hour to get my wife out of bed for work. Lately with the balmy east coast weather, the boiler has been powered down.

I have all this great outdoor gear, might as well use it. It takes a surprising amount of layering to be warm while sedentary (working on computer, reading or playing with toddler.)

turketron

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #94 on: December 12, 2015, 04:00:48 PM »
For me the most effective way to regulate my internal thermostat isn't layers of clothing but what I'm drinking. If I'm chilly, a cup of coffee or tea is all it takes to warm me up. However, I'm almost always hot rather than cold so I tend to drink as much ice water as I can year round.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #95 on: December 13, 2015, 05:15:55 PM »
Looks like I'm not the only one who says - "what the fuck!" when actual usage charge is lower than or comparable to delivery charges on gas and/or electric bills. No really, what the fuck

Same thing with my water and sewer bill. I typically use 1,500 gallons per month and the typical combined bill is $45. One summer I reseeded  my entire one third acre lot. Keeping the seeds wet and watering the new grass, I used 4,000 gallons per month. The bill only went up by $10 to $55.

GuitarStv

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #96 on: December 14, 2015, 06:10:53 AM »
Looks like I'm not the only one who says - "what the fuck!" when actual usage charge is lower than or comparable to delivery charges on gas and/or electric bills. No really, what the fuck

Same thing with my water and sewer bill. I typically use 1,500 gallons per month and the typical combined bill is $45. One summer I reseeded  my entire one third acre lot. Keeping the seeds wet and watering the new grass, I used 4,000 gallons per month. The bill only went up by $10 to $55.

Free market forces there.  It's very difficult to get off gas/water/electric completely.  If you penalize people for conserving by charging high rates simply to be connected, you're more likely to keep people from bothering to conserve and raise your bottom line (every little extra charge helps).  Great for business, not so great for the environment.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #97 on: December 14, 2015, 09:13:41 AM »
Looks like I'm not the only one who says - "what the fuck!" when actual usage charge is lower than or comparable to delivery charges on gas and/or electric bills. No really, what the fuck

For most of the year we pay nothing BUT the flat rate for our gas bill.  We only use gas about 4 months a year.

But our water bill is insane and it isn't in the usage. We use the minimum amount we can be billed for most months, and when we do use 2 units it is only a few dollars more.

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #98 on: December 14, 2015, 09:38:52 AM »
60/65 last year, experimenting this year. Winter really hasn't hit us much yet. I managed to get DW to go a whole week at around 58, but then she broke down and bumped it up.

Right now we're set at 55 but it's 65+ in the house so we have yet to settle into a range.

FerrumB5

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Re: Thermostat at 63
« Reply #99 on: December 14, 2015, 09:42:03 AM »
Here's the breakdown of my October Nicor gas bill: total = $23.10.
Delivery charges: $14.73
Natural gas cost: $6.74
Taxes: $1.63