People in Texas have been complaining that their electricity providers have been raising their home thermostat settings. This is made possible by “smart” thermostats that are connected to the Internet.
This would certainly give me pause if I were considering getting a “smart” thermostat (which I’m not). On the other hand, it just seems strange that people in Texas think that an indoor temperature in the upper 70s or lower 80s is oppressively hot.
Shouldn’t Texans be used to the heat? I live in the Twin Cities, MN, and 80 degrees is my idea of normal room temperature during air conditioning season. If I can handle 80 degrees, shouldn’t people in Texas be able to handle 82 to 85 degrees equally well? How are they ever supposed to ever go outside if they’re that ill-suited for the heat? It’s hard to get much exercise when you’re that averse to the great outdoors.
While being thinner than the rest of the population may be the reason I have better heat tolerance, my idea of room temperature in winter is 56 to 60 degrees. At those low temperatures, I’m wearing a sweater and long johns. I’m enough of a couch potato in winter. Being so sensitive to the cold that I need to set the thermostat to 72+ degrees would make me even more averse to the great outdoors. My trick is to start off heating season with the thermostat set to the mid-60s and gradually lower it.
Yes, I’m the one who complains that buildings are too cold in summer and too hot in winter. It feels like there’s a de-facto dress code that contradicts the weather outside. Is it just me, or were thermostat settings more sensible when I was a child in the greedy and wasteful 1980s? No, I didn’t grow up during the Great Depression or World War II. I was never a Navy SEAL, a Boy Scout, a mountain man, or a wilderness survival expert. So I’m not particularly tough or hardy.
Something I wonder about the people who keep their winter and summer thermostat settings so close together: What do they do during those late spring and early fall days? There will be many days in May and September when I need neither heat nor air conditioning to keep the indoor temperature between 65 and 80 degrees. This makes energy conservation so easy.
On the other hand, it just seems strange that people in Texas think that an indoor temperature in the upper 70s or lower 80s is oppressively hot.
You are forgetting about humidity, depending on if you are talking about west, east, or south TX. Houston, low 70s with the humidity of living on the Gulf is oppressive. Ditto around Dallas. Can’t say too much about west TX other than it gets hot too.
I lived in Louisiana for 40 years, played football, worked on a farm, did a lot of outdoor activities in mid-summer with temps in the 90s and humidity in the 90s. There was no cooling off in the shade, you only avoided sunburn.
But how many people live/work outside 12-16 hours a day? Not many. How many are “transplants” that aren’t used to it? Do you really want to go grocery shopping, go to the bank, go to the doctor’s office, attend a concert, etc. with the thermostat set at 85?
On the flip side, people could ask you why you need heating when temps are in the 20s? Aren’t you used to it?
You are forgetting about humidity, depending on if you are talking about west, east, or south TX. Houston, low 70s with the humidity of living on the Gulf is oppressive. Ditto around Dallas. Can’t say too much about west TX other than it gets hot too.
As a Floridian, I’ll second that. After taking a direct flight from Miami to Las Vegas a few times in the past, I’ve stepped out of the airport into weather that was 20+ degrees warmer than where I left - and much more comfortable to be outside in, due to the lack of humidity.
People in Texas have been complaining that their electricity providers have been raising their home thermostat settings. This is made possible by “smart” thermostats that are connected to the Internet.
Is it really internet connected thermostats? My town can turn on and off my AC even though my thermostat is not connected to the thermostat.
While being thinner than the rest of the population may be the reason I have better heat tolerance, my idea of room temperature in winter is 56 to 60 degrees. At those low temperatures, I’m wearing a sweater and long johns.
One reason why I work is to afford heating so I don’t need to wear long johns and sweaters in the house.
You are forgetting about humidity, depending on if you are talking about west, east, or south TX. Houston, low 70s with the humidity of living on the Gulf is oppressive. Ditto around Dallas. Can’t say too much about west TX other than it gets hot too.
In places like Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, etc., I’m pretty sure that indoor temperatures in the upper 80s or higher would be common without the aid of air conditioning. Right?
I’d expect residents of the Sun Belt to be used to the heat, so it’s shocking that some people there would keep the indoor temperatures so low that I’d have to put on a jacket. I’d expect their heat tolerance to be as good as or better than mine, not much worse. (When I’m in summer mode, a 72-degree room is too cold for me.)
It just seems ironic that people move to the Sun Belt for the warmer climate, only to deep freeze themselves when they get there. I also find it ironic that people look forward to summer all year long, only to deep freeze themselves when it finally arrives.
In places like Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, etc., I’m pretty sure that indoor temperatures in the upper 80s or higher would be common without the aid of air conditioning. Right?
Again, you are dismissing humidity. Try doing ANYTHING for any length of time inside a sauna. Doesn’t matter if you are used to it or not.
In places like Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, etc., I’m pretty sure that indoor temperatures in the upper 80s or higher would be common without the aid of air conditioning. Right?
I’d expect residents of the Sun Belt to be used to the heat, so it’s shocking that some people there would keep the indoor temperatures so low that I’d have to put on a jacket. I’d expect their heat tolerance to be as good as or better than mine, not much worse. (When I’m in summer mode, a 72-degree room is too cold for me.)
I lived in Houston off and on for 25 years (1981-2006.) I set the thermostat at 81-82 degrees during the Summer. Otherwise the temperature shock of moving from outdoors to indoors was too much.
I also enjoyed playing golf at 3 PM in the afternoon when the heat and humidity had chased everyone else off the course. You could actually play 18 holes in 2-1/2 hours.
I also enjoyed playing golf at 3 PM in the afternoon when the heat and humidity had chased everyone else off the course. You could actually play 18 holes in 2-1/2 hours.
Not knocking it, but bet you rode a cart. A friend had a 90 degree rule, if it was above 90 degrees, he rode. I had a similar rule, if above 90, only walk 9 holes.
During football season, I’d get a tee time 1/2 hour before an LSU kickoff. Would have the place to myself, play in about 2 hours (using a cart) and then get home and watch it off the DVR.
In Michigan during the heating months, we set the thermostat at 66 F. during the day (when we’re home) and 60 at night. In the summer, we set it so the a/c kicks in at 82 and then typically dial it down to 76. So far this year, we’ve had the a/c on maybe 4 days total–including today, when the outside temp was 90.
We keep our windows (and, often, the doors) open whenever the outside temp is between the mid 50s and the mid 80s, with the HVAC off. We have ceiling fans in the bedrooms.
According to DTE, our energy bills are typically about 25% less than the most efficient homes in our neighborhood. And this is in a 105 year-old house.
We’re perfectly comfortable like this. We’d do things pretty much the same way even if the utilities were free. It’s pretty much the way people in W. Europe live.
In places like Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, etc., I’m pretty sure that indoor temperatures in the upper 80s or higher would be common without the aid of air conditioning. Right?
JLC has pointed out that you can’t just look at temperature without looking at the role of humidity in indoor comfort - you’ll feel hotter at a lower temperature if the humidity is high. But to answer your question, you are correct. Having gone through several hurricanes that wiped out power for a few days, indoor temps will easily get into the upper 80s and 90’s when AC is not available. You likely wouldn’t see the type of population growth we’ve had in the Sun Belt since WWII if not for the widespread adoption of air conditioning.
Actually, I walked and carried the clubs for exercise. But then, I typically ran 7-8 miles when I got off work at 4PM. I’m fine with heat and humidity.
When I left Houston after the oil price collapse in 1985, I spent a year working for TRW in San Bernadino CA. I actually had to buy a humidifier for my apartment. That desert climate was just too dry for me. I was fine once I moved to the coast in La Jolla/Del Mar since you were engulfed in a Marine layer for a lot of the time.
Having gone through several hurricanes that wiped out power for a few days, indoor temps will easily get into the upper 80s and 90’s when AC is not available.
Sadly, this adds to the hurricane death toll. People have died from the heat simply because the air conditioning they normally rely on had failed due to the power outages. There’s an article on this at https://www.popsci.com/environment/heat-deaths-hurricanes/ .
Those high indoor temperatures are uncomfortable for everyone. However, it seems to me that those who have some adaptation to heat and humidity are at lower risk in such emergencies.
Similarly, I’d be at a much greater risk of heatstroke if I visited the Amazon rainforest in January or February than if I visited in July or August. In the latter scenario, I’d still find it oppressively hot and humid, but at least having some adaptation to the heat and humidity would protect me from the worst dangers. In the former scenario, I’d be especially vulnerable.
“During football season, I’d get a tee time 1/2 hour before an LSU kickoff. Would have the place to myself, play in about 2 hours (using a cart) and then get home and watch it off the DVR.”
I do the same thing. I golf about once a month in the Summer, but really like getting out in the Fall. On Michigan football days, if you go about an hour before kickoff, can practically
have the course to yourself. During leaf-change season, some of the courses are so beautiful
that it’s like going on a color tour. Plus, the rates are lower than in the peak Summer
months. Good exercise,too, hilly courses burn a lot of calories if they’re walked.
