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twinkiedooter · Oct 16, 2009, 06:48 PM

What temperature do you think you will keep your home at this winter?

I've kept my home's temperature at 61-62 degrees for the past few winters and I'm rather comfortable. At least I can wear my sweaters now after spending 25 years in South Florida.

I use this lower temperature to save electric. I just set the thermostat and let it at the same setting day and night.

tomder55 · Oct 17, 2009, 02:27 AM

That would be about right. My boiler comes on usually only in the mornings . During the day space heaters are employed as needed .At night I stoke the fireplace... ususally burning about 2 cords a season.
The weekend we are going to get an early nor'easter here.Guess I'll have to put on rain gear for my hike and lunch at Bear Mountain's Oktoberfest.

BTW it is clear now that we are in a multi-year deep solar minimum... probably the deepest one in the last century .
In July through August, 51 consecutive days passed without a sunspot, one day short of tying the record of 52 days from the early 1900s.
As of Sept. 15, the current solar minimum ranks third all-time in the amount of spotless days with 717 since 2004. There have been 206 spotless days in 2009, which is 14th all-time.And there are still 2 1/2 months left in the year.

No one knows how long this could last . Three have been extended periods of solar minimum before . The Maunder Minimum lasted between 1645–1715 .That period is also known as the Little Ice Age. It was not particularly pleasant. Glaciers advanced in the Alps killing whole villages . It was a time of reduced agriculture. The population of Iceland reduced in half . Norse colonies in Greenlnad disappeared .American Indians formed leagues to pool their resources because of scarcity.

If we are going into an extended period of solar minimum... and it certainly appears to be so. We should all agree to call it the Goracle Minimum.

speechlesstx · Oct 17, 2009, 05:09 AM

Anything to minimize The Goracle is fine with me. Should be pleasant 68 here today, after last Saturday's record for the coldest high temperature and breaking the day's record low temperature.

earl237 · Oct 17, 2009, 06:35 PM

Cold doesn't bother me much as long as there is not too much wind. For home temp, I find 64 about right.

excon · Oct 18, 2009, 05:44 AM

Originally Posted by twinkiedooter

Seeing as how Global Warming isn't happening just yet

Hi twink:

When it DOES get here, I'm pretty well situated. My house is on high ground. I can't WAIT to step outside and there's the beach.

excon

twinkiedooter · Oct 18, 2009, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by excon

Hi twink:

When it DOES get here, I'm pretty well situated. My house is on high ground. I can't WAIT to step outside and there's the beach.

excon

But what temp do you keep your home in the winter??

George Leigh · Oct 18, 2009, 11:19 AM

Well I built my place with a southern exposure, it's passive solar. It's tucked into a windbreak that it took me 20 years to grow. And we have a lot of native evergreens in the surrounding woods, which are supposed to keep temperatures on the ground about 15 degrees warmer than on open ground with no trees. I throw a nice big log in the woodstove at bedtime and that lasts until dawn. It might get down to 40 degrees at night on a cold one, say minus 10 outdoors, but we are asleep with all the down comforters and cats and dogs piled on the bed. And once I get up and put more wood in the stove to make hot water for coffee, it warms up in there pretty fast. It can be as high as 80 in an hour or two if I don't open the doors and windows.

paraclete · Oct 18, 2009, 07:43 PM

Hey I don't try to keep my home at a minimum, I run a gas heater than burns continually on a low setting and adjust it if the temp is too low, Some time soon I hope to turn it off, this year a little later maybe November 1. when summer comes for certain I might have to turn on the air con for a few weeks. We certianly have a little ice age going on here and have had for the last couple of years I only used the air con a few times last year

What I don't get is the government lag in realising that things have changed

ETWolverine · Oct 19, 2009, 08:52 AM

About 65 deg. I find that comfortable most nights.

In the daytimes, when nobody is home, I go much lower than that... about 55 deg. Or so.

ETWolverine · Oct 19, 2009, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by excon

Hi twink:

When it DOES get here, I'm pretty well situated. My house is on high ground. I can't WAIT to step outside and there's the beach.

excon

Dude, if you bought your house expecting it to become beachfront property, you got screwed by your broker. Or your elementary school science teacher. I'm not sure which.

speechlesstx · Oct 19, 2009, 09:05 AM

We're huge energy wasters, I couldn't get 65 or less past my wife no way, no how. We're usually a very pleasant 68-72 while at home depending on which part of the house. I do use programmable thermostats so I set it and forget it most of the time.

Regardless, I still love my carbon footprint. :D

NeedKarma · Oct 19, 2009, 09:16 AM

Same here. We boost the heat and open the windows.

spitvenom · Oct 19, 2009, 09:26 AM

I'm always hot. So I haven't even turned my heat on yet and it was cold this weekend. If I am home by myself I don't turn it on. When My wife comes home maybe it goes up to 64.

excon · Oct 19, 2009, 09:31 AM

Hello:

You know, I haven't experienced an earth quake. Maybe plate tectonics is bunk, too.

Ain't science wonderful?

excon

speechlesstx · Oct 19, 2009, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by spitvenom

I'm always hot. So I haven't even turned my heat on yet and it was cold this weekend. If I am home by myself I don't turn it on. When My wife comes home maybe it goes up to 64.

What was the temp during the Eagles game yesterday? Oh well the Phillies made up for it. ;)

spitvenom · Oct 19, 2009, 09:55 AM

What a pitiful display of football. But I have to give the Raiders D some credit they looked like mad men.

speechlesstx · Oct 19, 2009, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by spitvenom

What a pitiful display of football. But I have to give the Raiders D some credit they looked like mad men.

You can always take comfort in the fact that the Skins lost to KC and the Saints made the Giants look positively average. And you could always be a Titans fan...

spitvenom · Oct 19, 2009, 10:09 AM

It was an all round bad Sunday for the NFC East. I'm sure your happy the Cowboys had the day off!!

speechlesstx · Oct 19, 2009, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by spitvenom

It was an all round bad Sunday for the NFC East. I'm sure your happy the Cowboys had the day off!!!!

Yeah, at least they didn't lose yesterday

twinkiedooter · Oct 19, 2009, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by NeedKarma

Same here. We boost the heat and open the windows.

NK please keep your windows open and the furnace cranked on high this winter. That will definitely make a huge difference in how cold it won't get here in Downtown Ohio. Try to aim that warmed air towards my house, OK? I'd sure appreciate it. Maybe use a huge fan or blower system.