Yes, I mean inside.
Our kitchen is a brisk 56 degrees!
(Our refrigerator is set around 50 degrees, for a point of reference!)
I mostly blame our beautiful, but energy-inefficient wall of windows.
And the geniuses who planned out the small electrical details of our home, weren't wearing their thinking caps when they placed our thermostat on the top floor.
It's set at 70 degrees.
(News Flash! Heat rises.)
So, our bedrooms are nice and toasty, while our lower levels rival that of an icy tundra.
Yes, we could jack up the thermostat, but we'd prefer not to pay $300/month to keep warm. And yes, we could close the vents upstairs and open up all the vents below, but I'm upstairs most of the day (it's where the toy room and computer are) - I want to be warm!
I'm thinking of taking it to the next, rather tacky level: plastic on the windows...in the kitchen. Oh, it would be hideous! But that's a sacrifice I'm willing to live with. The windows need to be replaced, as they are original to the home and lack any semblance of a weatherstripping seal. I'm hoping at some point during the warmer months of this year we'll get new ones.
...but for now, we'll make do.
We have the same situation. It's a freezing nightmare. Good luck with your plastic covered windows. We might do the same!
ReplyDeleteWe have a back addition that has no heat and last year I hung a blanket covering the entrance it was so darn cold. This year we added insulation to the house. Much better.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow!! I think I would stay in bed in my pajamas all day with the house that cold. Or at least I would stay upstairs. Hey...easy diet right?!?!?! No going downstairs to get something out the pantry or fridge. Ha!!!
ReplyDeleteIt might look different, but plastic covered windows sound good to me!!
Good Morning, i am coming your way from SITS. Anyway you look at it, it is cold. I am so ready for spring. I am tired of dressing in layers. I want to see the green grass and hear the birds singing. Most of all I would like to see and feel the sun on my shoulders. Thank you for letting me visit.
ReplyDeleteI used to have that same problem when we lived in a townhouse. It was 56 degrees most mornings in the basement living room areas, and our bedroom upstairs but the rest of the house was warm. I bought a space heater and kept it in the basement and turned it on whenever we were going to be down there. I was a bit leery of using one at first because I thought they were all unsafe but we found a really good one that had some really good safety features.
ReplyDeleteYep, we have to use plastic too... and this year on the upstairs windows we have... wait for it.... BUBBLE WRAP. It's helped, but you can't see out.
ReplyDeleteThere are thermal curtains you can make to help too... google it. They would be great
Brrrr! That is chilly!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...is it possible your same genuises built my house too. I have the same problem. I too prefer not to raise the thermostat, but suffer, how long can this winter last?
ReplyDeleteI totally feel your pain, er frozenness. Our last house was horrible. The impetus for us to move out was our almost $400 utility bill for a month in which we FROZE. We weren't even warm or comfortable for that. Good windows and furnace were a priority when we were house hunting. Last winter, our highest bill was under $200. We've been a little over that this year, but we're also comfortable. Being a homeschool mom and being home with the kids all day, freezing was just not an option. I hope you can do something about it and soon!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain but, this year we actually did hang plastic over the windows. We bought the kind that you heat up with the hair dryer and it kinda shrinkwraps to your window. There is no plastic noise involved with it, once we put the curtains back up you really didn't notice it was there and it made a huge difference. Good luck!
ReplyDelete