I did a quick visit to see my grandparents. They are in their 80s and I am about to have a baby. I knew I had a small window on seeing them. Once I have the baby I won’t be traveling for a while. They also act like they are at death’s door anytime you talk to them. I did it to make them happy. I stayed for two days and was a guest at their house. My grandmother was delighted by this. What stunk is that I didn’t take into consideration how older people live. My grandparents don’t have the circulation I do. That means that their house is much warmer than mine. I went from my southern home to a northern home. My southern outdoor temperature was in the 80s so that meant my AC was on. My grandparents had an outdoor temperature of 50 and had their heater on. Since their circulation is low, they set their thermostat to around 80 degrees. It was horribly hot the entire time. I ended up wearing shorts and a tank top my whole visit with them. Sleeping at night was rough. I used just a bed sheet and slept in my underwear. Anytime they weren’t around I was opening a window or just sitting outside. I don’t know how they could be comfortable in that kind of temperature. It honestly was more comfortable being outside down south than inside their northern home. I didn’t feel it was right to ask them to adjust their thermostat settings for me either. So I just suffered.
They cranked their heaters for me
When I visited my parents and grandparents up north it was during the fall.
I think everyone was worried about me being comfortable.
The fall temperatures were in the 50s. I was coming from the southern heat of 90-80 degree weather with high humidity. I actually was excited to be a little cold for once. I wanted that chilly air and to be able to wear pants. When I stepped off the plane and felt that brisk air it was amazing. Well my whole family cranked their heating systems in preparation for my arrival. Every house must have set their thermostat to around 77 degrees. It was sweltering in there. The outfit I wore down south to travel ended up being all I wore for days. I had a tank top and shorts on most of my trip. I sweated to death in the evenings in bed. I also begged for everyone to turn off the heater. Nobody was happy with me going outside. Everyone was worried about me being cold. I went from heat and high humidity to just way too much heating. I ended up cracking my bedroom window and sleeping next to it for cold air. It was that hot in the house. I know they don’t set their heater like that all winter. Northerners are hardcore when it coems to heating. I think because I am southern now, they figured I would want the heating system on. Honestly I just wanted to be cold. Next time I know to visit in the summer and enjoy not needing air conditioning.
Time for a new thermostat
I have been thinking about getting a new thermostat.
I currently own a dial thermostat that has a big plastic toggle.
It is beige, rusted, and really old looking. I am not a fan of it. What is terrible is that my husband and I can’t read the numbers on it. I constantly am hunting for my glasses and trying to see what the hallway is set to. Our thermostat doesn’t allow any customized settings either. You can do 60, 70, 80 or 90 degrees. There isn’t much wiggle room in between that. Crazy right? My husband also happens to be the perfect height to bump that plastic toggle. He seems to constantly push the toggle upwards to 90. The house is constantly getting heated. I then notice I am sweating to death and start feeling bad for my heater. The old thermostat is costing us money in the long haul. I have looked into smart thermostats and that is just a better option for us. My husband and I then could control the heating and cooling from our phone. I could actually have a specific temperature rather than a range. Another pro is that the thermostat would learn my heating and cooling needs. I wouldn’t need to constantly hunt for my glasses to change things. The thermostat would learn what temperature I like at what time. I wouldn’t need to give any input whatsoever. It also would tell me about energy efficient settings to save money overtime. Another benefit is that I would get alerted on air filter changes and humidity levels too. Pretty neat right?
The kids play area was perfect with the new heat pump
Living in an apartment in the city was so much fun after graduating from university. I first lived with 2 roommates, and then proceeded to get a place of my own. After 5 years, I met and moved in with my partner since we wanted to live together. We got married two years after meeting and began talking about getting a place with a backyard. It seems the universe was listening to our conversation because he happened to inherit this house from his aunt. She had raised him and always considered him as her son. So it wasn’t a surprise when she left him at the house. My partner and I decided that was the best place to raise kids and renovated it before moving in. It’s been 5 years now and we have two young ones who love the massive backyard. The other day my partner completed building them this amazing playhouse, and even set up a heat pump in it. The kids had been desiring a tree house, but there weren’t any trees strong enough to hold one. So, instead, he built a small modern shed, and included a heat pump in it. Now, the space feels amazing and comfortable no matter the season. Ductless heat pumps are a delight since you don’t need to use any ductwork to keep your space comfortable. All you do is follow the installation instructions, and turn it on. The ductless heat pump keeps the kids’ play house lovely and warm in winter, and cool and calm in the heat of summer. I even escape and spend time there when I need some time alone.