I was hoping to be able to delay turning the heat on, but I just flipped that switch. It'll take the edge off, and then I won't have to put long pants on, at least yet. It's sunny out, but isn't going to get too hot out today. I'm going to look around at window film and/or insulating curtains/drapes, at least for (drapes) the bedroom, and maybe film for the other windows.
It's 42 degrees f here...I've had the heating off and on all day . It's off at the moment, but earlier it was really cold so I had it on for a couple of hours. It was really cold yesterday everywhere was covered in frost and ice, and I couldn't see my car under it yesterday, but today we have rain so it's not quite as cold. Fortunately we have double glazing, and the house is well insulated, and with lined curtains and blinds on every window.. by the time evening comes the house is usually nice and warm..especially upstairs.
I was looking at some insulated curtains while I was snuggled up in bed earlier. The problem is, most seem to be a combination of room darkening and insulating. Insulating I need, room darkening I don't want. It was down in the 40's overnight here, and the chill is still in the house. The sun's blazing through the windows here in the office, though, so by the end of the day, it should be a lot warmer, at least in here. Downstairs will stay cooler, but I have space heaters down there. If I turn on the central heat (which is what I have on now), that will take care of both up here and downstairs, but at night sometimes that makes it too hot in the bedroom. Well-insulated is great, so is double glazing. This house has neither. If I ever get out of here, hopefully my next place will have both .
I haven't turned it on yet and even though there Is rain forecast along my drive, its intermittent and I think I'll leave for my daughter's in about and hour or so. Leaving the thermostat set to off. The thought of spending a rainy boring Sunday at home has motivated me to take a chance and leave.
Diane...a quick google...found these thermal curtains, in loads of light colours... http://www.jcpenney.com/g/energy-efficient-thermal-curtains/N-1b0lvh6D1noxaj
Thanks @Holly Saunders, I ended up getting them at Amazon, and this is the type I got. I would definitely recommend them, and they were a great price, and had pretty fast shipping. I clicked your link and there are some black out roller shades I might look into, they're on clearance. I still might buy something like them for the back room, although seeing the early morning sky through the windows in the back room from bed tells me whether I need to jump up and take sky pics . Maybe I'll do one on the window I can't see from bed, and leave the other. That should save a little energy . No one else comes up here, so I don't care if the window treatments are different.
I flipped that switch today too. I'd like to blame it on the grandbaby coming and since he is having cold/allergy problems right now I didn't want him to be cold....but the truth is my old bones are feeling the cold sooner every year now.
Everyone used to complain at my grandmother's house in the Winter, because she kept the thermostat around 80. She'd be content sitting around in a short sleeved house dress, while everyone else came dressed for Winter and complained about how hot it was, but I always reveled in it. It felt tropical to me. When I first moved down here, I'd bask in the sun for hours, and my bones felt good in the heat. It probably reminded me of my Nana's house . After the heat strokes, I can no longer handle the heat outside, but it sure does feel good when the heat cranks on in the house here. I'm sitting here in my favorite Winter PJs. My mom got me these years ago, and I don't get to wear them that often. It's not that cold outside, but it feels colder because of the rain. I swear, rain in the Winter sounds different as it hits the window panes.
In our bedroom @Diane Lane we have the sheer curtains under our heavier ones. I pull the heavier ones closed at night and open them back up after I am up in the morning. I could not imagine not having my heavier curtains that help keep out the cold and the light when I'm trying to sleep.
In a strange way I am glad to have live in the times I did. When I was young as the fall came we would get some wood have the coal bin filled. Getting ready for cold weather starting the furnace was starting with newspaper followed by wood of increasing size ending with coal my father would remind me when you put coal always leave a flame showing to stop an explosion. Making sure you stoked up the furnace before bed. A few years later came oil and the furnace was converted to use oil and that was a real enjoyment to just reach over and turn up the thermostat. That is when it was nice to just turn on the switch in the Fall. When I was 15 we moved out to the farm and that changed things the house was very large and only part was heated by the furnace and the other was an old wood stove which mom cooked on and heated the kitchen. After I moved out living in apartments never worry about how they were heated but that early experience was worth it to appreciate what we have now. Now I am spoilt rotten as winter is in the low 70s and summer is in the high 80s and glad I am here.
@Diane Lane Where? @Holly Saunders And, my ignorance showing, I thought England had gone Metric! Frank
It is miserably hot here. In my office, I have three windows open (would open a fourth one but I only have three), and three fans going. A fourth fan would probably blow out my electrical circuit.
We keep the heat on most of the year, as it is still in the 40s F. here at night, and even in much of the summer it is only into the 50s F. at night. It is 63 F. at the moment and cloudy. We have well-insulated houses, however, so even if the heat is off the temp inside the house will be in the mid- to high 60s when the temperature is near or below freezing.
I have a similar situation I live in the basement apartment without any windows that can be opened. Even with the heat off temperature fluctuates between 76 and 80 degrees. There's no way I can vent an air conditioner so today I purchased an Arctic air evaporative air cooler. There is a number of these air coolers on the market they range from personal to room size Cooling. I haven't tried it yet but I sure hope it works.