Spouse keeps thermostat at 60 to save environment — how important is this?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what the environmental impact is of 60 vs 65. It would also seem to depend on your house and how drafty it is. If it's not a drafty house and is well insulated, you could probably heat it to 65 and have it stay that way with minimal effort. VS a poorly insulated house that takes a lot of energy just to stay at 60. There are so many factors.

I keep my heat at 65 in the winter. Any lower than that and I feel lethargic and just want to sit on the couch in a blanket. Plus yes, my kids (2 and 4) don't really understand the idea of wearing fleece jackets inside the house in winter. And yes, more layers means more laundry, especially if they spill something on it.

Daytime I keep the house at 80 in the summer, but I like to have it at least 70 at night time or I can't sleep.

[Anonymous]

60 and 80 are too much. 65 and 75 would feel better and still help the environment, and not have your house get moldy and pipes freeze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Over conditioning of spaces is a significant contributor to climate change. That being said, I keep my own house at 67 during the winter hours we are home (63 at night and during work hours), and 78 in summer (80 during work hours). I am skinny and get cold, so I just pack on warm layers and thick socks in the winter. Heat doesn't bother me as much, and I just wear lightweight sundresses/ shorts / tanks in the summer.

Over-cooled buildings in summer make me angry. People shouldn't have to pack on sweaters to keep from shivering in their office in August. It's OK to feel the seasons.

As a woman I’m sick of having the temperature controlled by a bunch of big burley men.

[Anonymous]

Paraphrasing but it’s just 100 companies responsible for most emissions. What we do at home literally does not matter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paraphrasing but it’s just 100 companies responsible for most emissions. What we do at home literally does not matter

Aw don’t take away the greenies chance for moral posturing! They thrive on it. While shivering in the middle of winter. And sweating their a$$es off in the summer. But they care - way way more than you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just following Energy department's recommendation - 68F for the winter, 78F for the summer. That's what we do. Little chilly and little warm but not too bad.

+1, if we have a heat wave, we drop the ac to 75ish. If we have a cold snap, we may raise the heat to 70.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you in a place where your pipes could freeze in the winter? That alone should be reason to raise the temperature about 68, since the temperature probably varies throughout the house.

You ha NO IDEA what you are talking about.

I’m in Mass - a place where pipes could freeze. Thermostat is set to 55 every night from 830-5 all winter long.

Team DH here. I’d compromise at 64 in the winter and 75 in the summers.

[Anonymous]

The biggest impact on the environment is having kids. Oops.

[Anonymous]

Are you talking about 60 just at night, or during the day too? I am fine with a low temp at night and keep my house cooler than 60 at night, but I could not handle 60 or even 65 during normal daytime awake hours. 65 might be okay while moving around, cooking, etc., but working at a desk, sitting and reading, etc., it would be too cold for me unless I added a space heater to the room I was in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you in a place where your pipes could freeze in the winter? That alone should be reason to raise the temperature about 68, since the temperature probably varies throughout the house.

You ha NO IDEA what you are talking about.

I’m in Mass - a place where pipes could freeze. Thermostat is set to 55 every night from 830-5 all winter long.

Team DH here. I’d compromise at 64 in the winter and 75 in the summers.

That made me laugh too. My vacation house in NH is set at 50 from October to March/ April, when it's empty. Never had any issue with the pipes.

[Anonymous]

Not an environmentalist but am energy conscious for fiscal reasons. What is the cost differential in heating a DC rowhouse (1800 sqft including basement) between 65 degrees versus 70 degrees? How much more would it actually cost? Or save? Just curious.

House is currently at 65 with the furnace off. It's bearable but admit it's also slightly cool even with wearing layers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just following Energy department's recommendation - 68F for the winter, 78F for the summer. That's what we do. Little chilly and little warm but not too bad.

That's a general rule, but we have to recognize that different people have different needs: an premature in the home will need a warmer environment, a disabled adult may need a more regulated temperature environment, a woman in menopause may want it even colder, a person with Renaud's may need more warmth, a person who run a normally low body temperature may need a higher ambient temperature, etc.

General guidelines can always be adjusted to meet actual needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's impacting your health and wellbeing, then he needs to be more flexible. In my middle age, I would never get any sleep with the thermostat at 80 in the summer. My super skinny son wouldn't be able to focus on his homework at 60 in the winter.

You also need to make your best effort. Get silk long underwear for everyone to layer under their clothes, cozy fleece slippers and sweaters, a smart thermostat, maybe space heaters for next to your desk or sofa or wherever you spend time in the evening. Invest in a whole house fan if you have shade trees. In my old house without central air, I could open my windows at 6 a.m. and run the whole house fan for 15-30 minutes, then turn off fan and shut windows. My house would stay comfortable for much of the morning, even on really hot days.

Anyway, you get the idea. You do everything you can do then your husband agrees to adjust the temp so you can be healthy and functional.

Sure we can wear more layers. Which then generates more laundry and drives the purchase of future clothes as they wear out.

Remember mugs vs paper cups, you need 100s- 1000x usage to break even, depending on what you measure.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2017/07/reusable-or-disposable-which-coffee-cup-has-a-smaller-footprint/

I personally think we environmentalists have been scammed; I sacrificed so much to be green, moreover my kids sacrificed, and I realize it was mostly a scam on the civic minded

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2017/jul/17/neoliberalism-has-conned-us-into-fighting-climate-change-as-individuals

Bingo! I just saw this forum was created, and there’s a lot of sanctimony. This is a huge scam and it avoids addressing the real problem.

[Anonymous]

Ours drops to 62 around 8 p.m. and then goes to 65 around the time we get up during the work week. When we are home we keep it set at 65 during the day in the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking about 60 just at night, or during the day too? I am fine with a low temp at night and keep my house cooler than 60 at night, but I could not handle 60 or even 65 during normal daytime awake hours. 65 might be okay while moving around, cooking, etc., but working at a desk, sitting and reading, etc., it would be too cold for me unless I added a space heater to the room I was in.

My classroom has been about 63 degrees the past few weeks. It's a little cooler than that when I first get there and it feels a bit chilly if you aren't moving around. I tell the students to bring sweatshirts.

ES Teacher