Sunday, November 9, 2008

The end of the no-furnace challenge

Well, I made it until November 7 before I had to turn on my furnace thanks in part to a warm spell with nearly 70 degree Fahrenheit temperatures in early November. Of course, I am unlikely to see 68 degrees F in my house for a few months as I set my thermostat to 64 degrees F or lower.

However, I did decide to modify my thermostat settings. Last year, I set it at 64 degrees when I was home, 55 degrees when I was gone during the day and 56 degrees at night. Since I was able to tolerate lower temperatures during my furnace-off challenge, I decided to decrease my thermostat settings to see how I would fee. My current settings are 63 degrees when I am home, 55 degrees when I am not and when I am sleeping. I do not know how much this might affect my natural gas bill, but I will do my best to lower my usage and add on the blankies.

With lower temperatures in the house as well as outside, I finally added my down comforter to the bed, which keeps me right warm all night long. With plenty of supplies laid in for home, craft and clutter projects in my home, I am ready for colder temperatures to keep me indoors. I do plan on trying to line-dry clothing outdoors during the winter and will continue to supply my backyard composter with leftover fruit and vegetable bits. Otherwise, I plan to keep most activities indoors for the next few months.

2 comments:

  1. Heh, someone else who does the no-furnace challenge! We are still holding strong at November 17th. It has dropped to 54 degrees in the house on occasion, but with lots of tea and layers, it's manageable. And at night, I have my heated mattress pad waiting for me!

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  2. Hi lise,

    Can you believe I feel guilty about having my furnace on? I still have to plastic and caulk three windows to help keep the heat in. However, without the furnace on, I think it would be below 50 degrees so on it goes. Next year, I will make it longer (and set my thermostat lower).

    Cheers!

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