In our house, as in most houses, there are people who prefer the air temperature at a cooler level and others. I don't think this is unusual but the behavior that ensues because of the differing thoughts of what temperature the thermostat should be on is awkward and frustrating at times. Late night adjustments, looking over the shoulder, tends to bring about a countering adjustment by the one encroached upon by the former. Windows left open, doors left open and other miscellaneous actions bring about arguments, craftily spun notions of how cooling and heating science occurs and a suspicious nature of the others in your house are all symptoms of the thermostat wars.
There is a redeeming side to all this back and forth. I believe God has designed this household malady for a reason and I believe this set of circumstances does a couple of things for us:
1. It allows us to see how lovingly we will handle other people before ourselves.
2. It proves who will be trusted with the more spiritual things of God.
3. It shows who can more readily and quickly give up their lives.
Although, these things might not be in your mind at the time it is 92 degrees inside, there is a process of finding that common ground. This can only come about by some brutally honest conversation about people’s preferences. Some preferences are reasonable and some are not. You have to find out what is true.
What is true for me? Well, it is true that not everyone is ever going to be comfortable at the same time. So someone is going to have to give up their lives (preferences and druthers) on different occasions. It is nice and kind to spread that around so everyone gets a turn at doing that. At least I believe it is. Shouldn't everyone want to practice giving up things for others? Plus sweating is good for you. It cleans out the pores.
Knowing that you may be asked to forfeit your preference from time to time should bring you closer to God in real spiritual matters as you pray earnestly that those other people in your household get a grip on reality and succumb to your way of doing things. I am sure God will prove you right after the electric bill comes in and it has actually gone down from the prior month. If not, then praying that God would supernaturally intervene on the functioning of the electric meter will definitely bring you closer to God. You will become a prayer warrior and be trusted with many important decision making processes because of it. You can be trusted to change the course of history and thermodynamics.
This will indeed lead to you loving people more as you let God show the others in your house how spiritual you are to be allowing them to share the suffering of heat exhaustion and saving several dollars on the electric bill. What kind of love is greater than that? You can come to the supper table with spiritual confidence that others are looking lovingly at you and wanting to thank you for the sweat dripping off their noses and into their food.
For all of you who can and want to take a more serious look at the thermostat wars and a set of real facts for thermostats, read on. Like any appliance, how much energy and money you can save depends upon how you use your thermostat. Here are a few simple rules for getting the most out of yours from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy:
1. Keep the temperature set at its energy savings set-points for long periods of time (at least eight hours), for example, during the day, when no one is at home, and through the night, after bedtime.2. All thermostats let you temporarily make an area warmer or cooler, without erasing the pre-set programming. This override is cancelled automatically at the next program period. These features are nice but the trick is not to overuse them. You use more energy (and end up paying more on energy bills) if you consistently “hold” or over-ride the pre-programmed settings.
3. Units typically have 2 types of hold features: (a) hold/permanent/vacation; (b) temporary. Avoid using the hold/permanent/vacation feature to manage day to day temperature settings. “Hold” or “vacation” features are best when you're planning be away for an extended period. Set this feature at a constant, efficient temperature (i.e. several degrees warmer temperature in summer, several degrees cooler during winter), when going away for the weekend or on vacation. You'll waste energy and money if you leave the “hold” feature at the comfort setting while you're away.
4. Cranking your unit up to 90 degrees or down to 40 degrees, for example, will not heat or cool your house any faster. Most thermostats begin to heat or cool at a programmed time, to reach set-point temperatures sometime thereafter. Units with adaptive, “smart,” or “intelligent” recovery features are an exception to this rule — they reach desired temperatures by the set time, since they use formulas that are based on your historical use.
5. Install your unit on an interior wall, away from heating or cooling vents and other sources of heat or drafts (doorways, windows, skylights, direct sunlight or bright lamps). Many homes use just one thermostat to control the whole house. If your home has multiple heating or cooling zones, you'll need a programmed setback thermostat for each zone to maximize comfort, convenience and energy savings throughout the house.
6. Don't forget to change the batteries each year if your thermostat does not have an electric source. Some units indicate when batteries must be changed.
I hope you will consider the others in your household as you find ways to work out the differences in your comfort zones. Smile and keep a positive attitude for the summer months. Remember, summer doesn't last that long and then you can do all this again for the winter. Keep cool. Practice love, prayer and endurance.
