Would you raise your house temps for a houseguest (that lost heat)?

[Anonymous]

Are you a vampire?

63 is too cold

[Anonymous]

I would love your house and so would many of my friends but we are in menopause. Our heat, hot flashes and difficulty sleeping with night sweats is a constant topic of conversation.

The rest of my family would say to turn up the heat. I would not have my guest stay in a house with those temps. At the very least, dry it at 68, let the guest have upstairs and get a room heater.

[Anonymous]

Very silly question, of course you should make your home comfortable to your guest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Wow, I wasn't expecting this much backlash.

Fyi our house is not big - it's a small, old rowhouse. I understand that 63 is too cold for some people, but for us it's fine (yes, we wear long pants, sweatshirts, socks, and slippers). We're active people so our blood is always moving. Things warm up when it's sunny (67 now).

The guest would need to stay for 6 days before their heat is repaired, which is a long time. Our basement is cold - there's nothing we can do about that. Personally, I would never expect someone to change their home conditions for me if they were helping me out.

I know 63 is not everyone's cup of tea, and that's ok. Which is why I offered to let them stay if they would like, but gave them a heads up that our home is pretty chilly. It's an option - they're not forced to make.

Also, sleeping with temps in the 50s is actually great! Heavy blanket and comforters... and it's delightful--and healthy.

Not 63, 53. You keep repeating 63, but that’s not where you’re putting your guest. You are putting your guest in a room that is 53.

If the basement was 63 like the rest of the house, then it would be different, because you’d be offering same as what you have.

If you’re so comfortable with 53, then let your guest stay up and you go down to the basement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Idk why you'd offer if you're being so stingy. I can't imagine sending my friend, who lost heat, to sleep in a 53f room. That's basically torture.

You say stingy, I say eco friendly. It blows my mind how warm people keep their houses.

That said, it’s not polite to refuse to share your food, your plumbing, or your central heating with guests.

[Anonymous]

Even your upstairs is too cold to be hospitable to just about anyone but yourself. Your ‘guest room’ is basically a refrigerator, so why would you even offer?? It would be like me offering friends a weekend at my lake house, only they have to sleep on the gravel driveway. Don’t be absurd.

If for some reason you end up with a guest down there, YES you raise the heat!! To 75 at least. 65 is what is legally required to be habitable. So you open your window to cool down your room, or you sleep in the root cellar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even your upstairs is too cold to be hospitable to just about anyone but yourself. Your ‘guest room’ is basically a refrigerator, so why would you even offer?? It would be like me offering friends a weekend at my lake house, only they have to sleep on the gravel driveway. Don’t be absurd.

If for some reason you end up with a guest down there, YES you raise the heat!! To 75 at least. 65 is what is legally required to be habitable. So you open your window to cool down your room, or you sleep in the root cellar.

Wait what? Why would anyone raise their heat to 75? I think OP is ridiculous but we keep our heat at 65 in the winter and it’s fine. If we had guests we would raise it to 69 or so, of course.

[Anonymous]

In winter, I sleep with the thermostat on 64 at night. During the day, 64-66. So I get it, OP, but unless you find it uncomfortable to be warmer, you should notch it up a couple of degrees if you have an overnight guest.

[Anonymous]

63 is diabolical

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Wow, I wasn't expecting this much backlash.

Fyi our house is not big - it's a small, old rowhouse. I understand that 63 is too cold for some people, but for us it's fine (yes, we wear long pants, sweatshirts, socks, and slippers). We're active people so our blood is always moving. Things warm up when it's sunny (67 now).

The guest would need to stay for 6 days before their heat is repaired, which is a long time. Our basement is cold - there's nothing we can do about that. Personally, I would never expect someone to change their home conditions for me if they were helping me out.

Fair enough. But you can offer, even if they do not expect it of you.

I know 63 is not everyone's cup of tea, and that's ok. Which is why I offered to let them stay if they would like, but gave them a heads up that our home is pretty chilly. It's an option - they're not forced to make.

Also, sleeping with temps in the 50s is actually great! Heavy blanket and comforters... and it's delightful--and healthy.

The answer practically writes itself. Think of it as a delightful adventure for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Idk why you'd offer if you're being so stingy. I can't imagine sending my friend, who lost heat, to sleep in a 53f room. That's basically torture.

It's like inviting a friend over for dinner and then serving a shot glass of soup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk why you'd offer if you're being so stingy. I can't imagine sending my friend, who lost heat, to sleep in a 53f room. That's basically torture.

You say stingy, I say eco friendly. It blows my mind how warm people keep their houses.

That said, it’s not polite to refuse to share your food, your plumbing, or your central heating with guests.

Yes it absolutely it. It's fine if you just don't invite the people to be your guests - you have every right not to host someone in your home. But once you do host them, there is a minimum line of comfort that is expected to be provided. And a living space over 53 degrees is certainly over that line. Freshly baked croissants are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even your upstairs is too cold to be hospitable to just about anyone but yourself. Your ‘guest room’ is basically a refrigerator, so why would you even offer?? It would be like me offering friends a weekend at my lake house, only they have to sleep on the gravel driveway. Don’t be absurd.

If for some reason you end up with a guest down there, YES you raise the heat!! To 75 at least. 65 is what is legally required to be habitable. So you open your window to cool down your room, or you sleep in the root cellar.

Wait what? Why would anyone raise their heat to 75? I think OP is ridiculous but we keep our heat at 65 in the winter and it’s fine. If we had guests we would raise it to 69 or so, of course.

Sigh. Because the basement, which is the offered space, is 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house. So to get to 65 down there, you'd have to have the house at 75. Which, by the way, is absurdly high, which means that their "guest room" is more like a screened in porch - it's seasonal, and this ain't its season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In winter, I sleep with the thermostat on 64 at night. During the day, 64-66. So I get it, OP, but unless you find it uncomfortable to be warmer, you should notch it up a couple of degrees if you have an overnight guest.

I would think most people lower their thermostats at night, and there is a marked difference between 63 and 66.

[Anonymous]

I think the solution is easy. You sleep in the 53’ basement since you love sleeping and waking up in cooler temperatures and you have your friend sleep in your bedroom where it is 63’. This is what I would do.