Over the years, I've had a number of friends and colleagues who made it a practice to see how long they could go without turning on the heat or the air conditioning when the weather changed. For a long time, I embraced this mentality, at least until I could no longer explain why it made sense.
Sure, there are great reasons environmentally and financially to do this. But what ever happened to listening to our bodies?
Now that I'm in my 60s, my body and its comfort have pushed the whole "how long can I last?" mentality off the list. Instead, I think more like my 87-year-old dad does. If it's going to be cold and I have the means to be warm, then I should do that. If it's going to be hot and I have the means to be cool, then I should do that.
That said, I don't want to completely disregard the sound environmental and financial reasons to avoid playing thermostat ping pong. One unseasonably cold night? Pull out another sweater and an extra blanket. One warm night?
Well, that's another story.
I hate being hot, and I really hate being hot when I'm trying to sleep, a seemingly simple pursuit that has become much more challenging with age. Yesterday was the first of three very warm days forecast for this week and so, when the thermostat registered a temperature likely to mess with my sleep, I took the first step and turned on the fan. When the temperature dropped only 2 degrees in 12 hours, it was time for more serious measures.
No, I don't care that it's only April. 90 degrees is 90 degrees, and if it's 90 degrees outside, it's non-sleep weather inside.
This morning, the house was comfortable, so I turned on the air conditioning, setting the thermostat to coincide with the already comfortable temperature of the house. My logic is that keeping the temperature at a comfortable level now will mean that the fan only goes on when necessary to keep the temperature where it is instead of running constantly. In addition, I won't have to waste energy when the outdoor temperature rises, taking the temperature in the house with it, and the system has to work desperately to bring the temperature down to a livable level.
My husband, who loves hot weather, will not see things quite the same way, mostly because he'll be sound asleep tonight whether the temperature is 65 degrees, 75 degrees, or even a little higher.
I will not. And that's a deal breaker.
Sometimes, we do something for so long that we lose sight of why we started doing it in the first place. When that happens, it's time to re-think the plan and, if there's a better plan, it's time to enact it.
That's my thermostat story and I'm sticking to it. Quite comfortably, thank you very much.
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