As part of our pledge, we decided to turn the heat down by about 10 degrees in the winter, and keep the AC off until it gets absurdly hot. We have a thermostat that essentially turns off the heat during business hours, then runs a program locking the heat in at 60 degrees when heat is needed.
That all sounds good in theory. But, as it turns out, 60 degrees is pretty f-ing cold. See exhibits A and B below:
That’s right: as soon as the heat came on, both kids ran to their nearest heating grate and huddled up next to it.
As a parent, I’m definitely having one of those moments where I ask: if corporations and governments are mainly to blame for the climate crisis, are a couple degrees really worth it? We used to keep the house at 68 degrees during the winter. Is 60 really necessary?
While contemplating that epic existential dilemma, I went at set the temperature to 62.