Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I Broke My Heating/Cooling Rule

Ever since I started paying for my own costs of heating and cooling, I made two very strict rules. First, no air conditioning usage until after June 1st. Second, no furnace usage until after October 1st. I have stuck by these rules, even if it meant sleeping naked with an ice pack on my neck or wearing two pairs of pajamas to bed. I don't know how much money it has saved me, but it feels like my own little way to beat the energy companies.

A couple of nights ago, I broke the first rule. I have an older brick home that retains heat very well. Therefore, the upstairs is always hotter on warm days. I noticed it was stuffy when I put my son to bed, but thought the breeze from the windows and ceiling fans would cool it off enough. I was wrong. When I checked on him before I went to bed, he was essentially sleeping in a puddle of his own sweat. I felt so bad, I went right back downstairs and turned on the air conditioner. Needless to say, we all slept much better that night.

Oh, the sacrifices we make for our children.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We don't actually have a rule governing the thermostat, but everytime my husband has mentioned it being hot and hinting about turning on the air, I say "Cilco bill" and it silences him instantly.
I have had the air on in my office, though, because it has no "openable" windows and gets hot (plus I don't pay the bill here!).