Fall/Winter Thermostat Challenge

[AJ]

So, the weather is getting colder in my neck of the woods and DH and I have challenged each other to see who caves in and turns the heat on first. The weather is *just* starting to be cold enough to tempt me to set up the electric blanket and turn the gas stove on in the mornings (we don't have an actual "thermostat", per se, but have a gas stove that we turn on/off manually).

I wanted to extend the challenge to this group: how cold does it have to be outside before you turn your heat on? (I suppose this excludes areas of the country where you must always keep heat on, wherever those are).

Right now we're about mid-40s at night, mid-70s during the day. Once we hit overnight lows in the 30s I think we'll cave...but we'll see :)

[WaxOnWaxOff]

So far it's hit the low 40s at night, low 60s during the day and I haven't turned on the heat yet.

[kkbmustang]

We hit over 100 degrees this past weekend. It's gonna be a while for us...

[velocistar237]

Around here, I've heard of people trying to hold out until a certain date, like Halloween or Thanksgiving. Last year, we had a pretty cold October (e.g., a Halloween snowstorm), and I think we caved mid-month. We're getting our furnace fixed in a couple of weeks, so we'll have to wait at least that long.

[Use it up, wear it out...]

I live in an apartment building in NYC, and the law sets the dates the heat must be on:

Heat (During the heating season, October 1 through May 31)

*  Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., heat must register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees;

*  Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heat must register at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees.

[Nudelkopf]

At the other end of the world (heading into summer) I'm going to avoid turning the fan on for as long as possible. Given it's 54°-79°F (12-23°C) here today, I don't think it'll be so bad.

[anastrophe]

I live in an apartment building in NYC, and the law sets the dates the heat must be on:

Heat (During the heating season, October 1 through May 31)

*  Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., heat must register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees;

*  Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heat must register at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees.

I believe this law was intended to prevent landlords of slum housing from freezing their tenants to death (side benefit of preventing broken pipes). But I doubt there are any inspectors who will be actually checking the temperature of your apartment.

Last year with the Snowtober storm I had a "benefit" of not having power for a week and saving some money thus...this year I am hoping to wait til Thanksgiving but it's already in the mid 30's at night so we'll see.

[Use it up, wear it out...]

I live in an apartment building in NYC, and the law sets the dates the heat must be on:

Heat (During the heating season, October 1 through May 31)

*  Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., heat must register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees;

*  Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heat must register at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees.

I believe this law was intended to prevent landlords of slum housing from freezing their tenants to death (side benefit of preventing broken pipes). But I doubt there are any inspectors who will be actually checking the temperature of your apartment.

Actually, at the beginning of the cold season, I've been told that the city gets more calls on the city hotline (311) about lack of heating than any other single issue. And they do send out inspectors and issue citations (I have a friend who's a housing court judge). But, your point is taken - I just thought people would find it interesting that there is a place where heating is mandated by law.

[keith]

I live in an apartment building in NYC, and the law sets the dates the heat must be on:

Heat (During the heating season, October 1 through May 31)

*  Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., heat must register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees;

*  Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heat must register at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees.

I believe this law was intended to prevent landlords of slum housing from freezing their tenants to death (side benefit of preventing broken pipes). But I doubt there are any inspectors who will be actually checking the temperature of your apartment.

Actually, at the beginning of the cold season, I've been told that the city gets more calls on the city hotline (311) about lack of heating than any other single issue. And they do send out inspectors and issue citations (I have a friend who's a housing court judge). But, your point is taken - I just thought people would find it interesting that there is a place where heating is mandated by law.

I was totally unaware that was mandated in NYC, thats pretty interesting.

[Tradies wife]

I thought I'd throw this out as a suggestion. Some families in Australia have gone without heating all winter, using clothing to keep them warm instead of the heater.

I would LOVE to deck my family out in these. Next winter might just be the time I do it.
Anyway, I'd imagine that they are suitable for even the colder parts of the US in Autumn through to the start of winter. Actually, like most things you probably have a US equivalent.

If you are bored, try putting the words "lazypatch suit" into you tube. Some funny relationship advice there... he, he.

http://www.lazypatch.com/

[velocistar237]

I thought I'd throw this out as a suggestion. Some families in Australia have gone without heating all winter, using clothing to keep them warm instead of the heater.

Like Bakari.

[Tradies wife]

I thought I'd throw this out as a suggestion. Some families in Australia have gone without heating all winter, using clothing to keep them warm instead of the heater.

Like Bakari.

The more I read Bakari, the more I'm liking that guy. Well done.

[stevedoug]

love this thread,
last year I started with a "no heat November" that spread into from 2011 to  January 2012. January in Michigan the nights were getting as low as 15F.
I finally caved as the temperature inside my 2nd floor condo was below 49F, I was concerned about:

A) ethical implications of 'stealing heat' from neighbors via conductive heat loss
B) Personal electronics (cheap-o plasma TV, home-made media center, etc)

I will admit, I used a small portable 'space heater' to spot heat myself.
other than that, blankets and proper winter attire.
I finally set the thermostat to a sweaty 55F.

I plan on continuing this year, for as long as I can go... shall depend much on how mild the winter goes.

(pipe freezing shouldn't be an issue, as my pipes are in shared walls, temperature there can't drop much below 55, due to neighbors.)

love the concept of this thread. Gratification through self deprivation!
yes, I live by myself

[velocistar237]

A) ethical implications of 'stealing heat' from neighbors via conductive heat loss

"The Heat is On," ethicist column at NYT

He doesn't post very often, but this guy has some thoughts on the cold house topic.

[MB]

Ahh you beat me to the punch on this challenge!  My husband and I don't have kids to worry about, so we're playing around with the idea of only turning the heat on when we have guests this winter.  Our average lows get down into the 20's, and our rental house is terribly insulated, but we managed through the better part of December last year.  He is better acclimated to hot weather, and I am better acclimated to cold weather, so I'm betting he'll be the one to cave!  But we could potentially cut our electric bill in half compared to last year by doing this.

[DocCyane]

I live in Los Angeles. Inland, not by the water. I want to challenge myself to go all winter without heat, but my life partner may decide I'm a horrible person for torturing her.

Actually, I just now told her of my intention and she looks irate. I have that effect on her. *sigh*

[Nudelkopf]

I thought I'd throw this out as a suggestion. Some families in Australia have gone without heating all winter, using clothing to keep them warm instead of the heater.

..I didn't know people owned heaters until I moved for university.. I live in Queensland, but it'd get down to 35-40F (2-5C) over night, but that's totally fine when you're asleep with blankets on.

[igthebold]

Here's what we're going to try: no central heat except from 5:45-7:00AM at 65F for the purpose of helping people get up on time. :) Supplement with space heaters, especially when we're together, e.g. at dinner. Make sure everybody has and uses proper clothing.

The dad in me wants to add a rule: "If you say, 'I'm cold,' and don't have sufficient clothing on, you go outside and run around for a while then come back in." But I'll skip that part. ;)

[kolorado]

Last Winter we lived in NJ. It was my rule there to not turn on the heater until the interior temperature fell below 55* overnight. Outdoor temperatures would likely be in the mid-50's high by that point. We had a small rancher with awesome South facing windows. I took full advantage of the daylight to warm the place up, then pulled the window quilts closed as the sun set to hold in the heat. We usually made it until late October before turning on the heater for the season, although one year we made it until December. I set it at 60* round-the-clock and would only pump it to 68* for company. Sweaters, slippers, lap blankets, baking, a pot of hot tea kept warm under a cozy and keeping busy in general usually keep me from noticing the chilly temperature.
Now we live in CO and this will be our first Winter here. Temps are now upper 60's-low 70's during the day and 40's overnight. We've not turned the heater on yet. We're in a rental with poorly oriented windows but will be moving to our new home in a couple weeks. I think we'll hold out until at least then. It's windier here than in NJ, but it's also sunny more often so those things will affect when we have to start the heating season.

[sideways8]

I can deal with chilly temperatures just fine- I've got a supply of warm and fuzzy pj's and socks. My piano, however, is a different story. >< I want to do something for the music room itself so that I can protect my piano without having to keep the rest of my house in those conditions. Until then, I keep my heat on 68 during the winter months. Still a bit on the low side for the piano but not horrible, I think.

[Posthumane]

Haven't turned the heat on yet, but I will probably have to in a few weeks. Lows are 2-5C (30's F) and highs are 18-25 (65-75F) still due to a late summer, so the house is staying quite warm and I still open the windows in the evening to cool it down. Last winter I had my thermostat set to 66F when we are home and 60F when we are not, though I may try to bump that down a bit more. We had a few days last winter when it reached close to -40F and the heating was running at about 90% duty cycle.

[anastrophe]

I can deal with chilly temperatures just fine- I've got a supply of warm and fuzzy pj's and socks. My piano, however, is a different story. >< I want to do something for the music room itself so that I can protect my piano without having to keep the rest of my house in those conditions. Until then, I keep my heat on 68 during the winter months. Still a bit on the low side for the piano but not horrible, I think.

Is it necessary to keep it warm, or just humidified? I have a hygrometer and small humidifier and while it's not great, my instrument does OK in the colder temps--but then, I can fit my instrument in a bag, so perhaps a piano is different...?

[carolinakaren]

I'll take this challenge.  It's something I do every fall season anyway!  I keep my electric bill on a budget plan that averages each month of the previous year to come up with the current year's monthly payment.  I can really make an impact in the spring and fall.  Summer's here are expensive since it's not only hot, but very humid too.  I think I've almost made it to Halloween every year, but I wasn't a "mustachian" last year, so I'm sure it could be better......

[Orvell]

I can deal with chilly temperatures just fine- I've got a supply of warm and fuzzy pj's and socks. My piano, however, is a different story. >< I want to do something for the music room itself so that I can protect my piano without having to keep the rest of my house in those conditions. Until then, I keep my heat on 68 during the winter months. Still a bit on the low side for the piano but not horrible, I think.

Is it necessary to keep it warm, or just humidified? I have a hygrometer and small humidifier and while it's not great, my instrument does OK in the colder temps--but then, I can fit my instrument in a bag, so perhaps a piano is different...?

I was going to suggest a similar thing. I am not sure what the equivalent of a dampit would be for a piano? Maybe a humidifier is the best bet. Best of luck!

[anastrophe]

I was going to suggest a similar thing. I am not sure what the equivalent of a dampit would be for a piano? Maybe a humidifier is the best bet. Best of luck!

A piano-sized dampit is a really comical thought, thanks for the laugh--imagine how heavy it would be! I think that given a piano's larger surface area, such a system wouldn't really humidify evenly since some seams would be too far from the source of moisture. A room humidifier some distance away from the piano but in the same room is probably a better bet. I think that would probably work--you'd want to monitor with a hygrometer of course--unless there's some special issue with pianos that I don't know about.

[Orvell]

I was going to suggest a similar thing. I am not sure what the equivalent of a dampit would be for a piano? Maybe a humidifier is the best bet. Best of luck!

A piano-sized dampit is a really comical thought, thanks for the laugh--imagine how heavy it would be!...

It could double as Jaba the Hut during parties.
;)
/thread derailment

[happy]

Yesterday at my place (Down Under) it was 32C or 90F.  Aircon stayed off. However we then had a storm and rapid cooling... its when  it says hot for days we have more of a problem since the house warms up after a day or two and doesn't cool. Think I will try no aircon unless house temp downstairs >27C (80.6F).

[kkbmustang]

Today was a pretty warm day here in Dallas - topped out in the low 90s. I turned the A/C off at 8:15 a.m. and it didn't get turned back on until 9:30 p.m. I thought that was pretty darn good. It supposed to rain this weekend. If so, the air should stay off most of the weekend.

[Emerald]

I'm in.  I usually make it thru October and into November.   We'll see how it goes this year.

[igthebold]

Is it necessary to keep it warm, or just humidified? I have a hygrometer and small humidifier and while it's not great, my instrument does OK in the colder temps--but then, I can fit my instrument in a bag, so perhaps a piano is different...?

If a piano is anything like a guitar, which it is, the soundboard would appreciate both decent humidity and a lack of wild temperature swings. I don't know what the temperature limits would be, but this page says keep it at 70-72F: http://piano.about.com/od/pianomaintenancerepairs/tp/piano_room_conditions.htm

Thankfully we have a digital piano and my guitar has a good case, so we're not worried about it. A real piano does seem a bit more needy.

[GuitarStv]

You guys are playing a dangerous game.  I've always kept the heat on in our home during the fall, just in case we get a particularly cold night.  You really don't want to risk the chance of having your pipes to freeze up and burst . . . then you would have to watch all those heat savings disappear under sheets of flowing, icy cold water and ruined stuff.  We usually keep it set to 17 degrees or so (62 F) for most of the fall/winter because it'll dip well into freezing temps by late october/early november.  Opening all the blinds and windows during the day to let the sun in heats the house up to 19 (66 F) degrees most clear days.

[strider3700]

My t-stat is already set to heat.  It won't turn on unless temps dip below 17C (62F) at night or below 18C(64F) during the day.  right now it's sunny during the days so the house will easily reach 22(72F) upstairs. at night it's dropping to 6C(43F) outside but inside hasn't gotten below 19C(66).  Really so long as it's sunny and I'm smart about using the curtains to keep heat in  The thermostat won't turn on until it's below 0 outside. 

When it get's cloudy and the house starts to cool I'll eventually light the fire. I'm hoping to not do that until halloween. It depends how much longer this sunny drought hangs around.

[wiferkhart]

We don't turn on the heat until our house drops below 50F at night.  Then we set the tstat for 50F at night, 55F during the day and 60F when we're home.  If we have company, we bump it up to 65F.

We also have good southern windows for heat gain on sunny Colorado days : )

[Posthumane]

Heat had to come on a couple days ago as the house dropped down to 55F and the GF didn't like that. We keep ours set for 60F at night and when we're not home, and 66F when we are home. I'd put it lower during the not home part but our dog dislikes low temps.

[mikednj]

No heat here in NJ yet. The coolest it's gotten in NNJ has been around 49-51 over night.  Right now it's a cozy 78 outside :-) 

We just replaced a ton of windows this spring so I'm hoping for some ROI when it comes to heat loss.

[PJ]

No heat on yet here in Toronto, Canada either.  Am fully expecting my sister to request it any day now though (she lives in the basement).  Will hold out as long as I can. 

Now, I was planning to do some big batch cooking tonight (after 7 p.m. when the electricity rates drop).  But then I realized that tomorrow is supposed to be colder out than today was.  So I'm thinking I'll do my cooking tomorrow so the residual heat will make it more comfortable in the house.  It's off peak for electricity all weekend, so that part stays the same.

[Bakari]

I thought I'd throw this out as a suggestion. Some families in Australia have gone without heating all winter, using clothing to keep them warm instead of the heater.

Like Bakari.

The more I read Bakari, the more I'm liking that guy. Well done.

Golly, thank you!

Although I can't take all the credit.
I got the idea from Jacob:
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/keeping-warm-during-winter.html

In fact, probably one of those most significant things I got from the whole ERE/MMM movement (I always lived simple, and had paid off my debt and started saving by the time I was introduced to it).

The temperature where I live varies from 32 to 100, so not as extreme as many places, which makes it easier.  On the other hand, I live in an RV, which doesn't have the best insulation or thermal mass.

I haven't used ANY heat or AC in over 2 years so far :)