Living Like Ed - (Page 24) Ed used to make me crazy with that programmable thermostat. He was always tinkering with it, making RACHELLE’S us late before we’d go anywhere. And if I adjusted it TURN myself, he was always asking, “What happened? Who touched this?” He always knew if I’d cranked the heat up a degree or two, but he kept the house bordering on freezing in the winter! But I guess it’s like anything. You can get used to wearing a sweater inside, especially when you see the difference in the energy bill. And it does make sense to save energy when we’re not home. Of course, he’s got that thermostat programmed to dial the heat way back at night, but I have to admit I don’t mind putting an extra blanket on the bed anymore. It’s not such a bad trade. With what we save on the electric bill, I get to buy more shoes! Ed Choosing a Comfortable Temperature 24 It’s one thing to talk about programming the thermostat. Everybody says, “Sure, makes sense.” It’s another thing entirely to try to reach an agreement with the people living in your home about what temperature is comfortable. Let me talk about the temperature in my house before Rachelle and after Rachelle. When I was single, I would keep the house at 65 to 68 degrees in the winter and 78 in the summer. I didn’t think twice about simply wearing a sweater or sweatshirt in the winter and changing into a cotton T-shirt and shorts in the summer. There is no amount of thermostat programming that can replace good ol’ shutting down the heating Wear a Sweatshirt and cooling completely when the When You Get temperatures outside and inside Chilly your home are within your own COST: free personal comfort zone. Well, that ain’t gonna fly anymore in my home. I have a wife and a daughter who require considerably more creature comfort than I did when living on my own. living like shorts in the summer. In some parts of the country, you can cut your energy bill 30 percent in the
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