Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Freeze Yer Buns Challenge 2008

Freeze Yer Buns Challenge 2008Okay, chickens, I just can't tell you how excited I am to kick off this year's Freeze Yer Buns Challenge. Last year we had such great participation and I'm expecting even more frozen hindquarters this year.

Because of the economic situation, most everyone is tightening up their purse strings, plus heating costs (oil, natural gas and electricity) are expected to be a lot higher this year than last, so you have even more incentive to hop on board the chapped cheeks express.

This year, we'll all share hints and tips for keeping the thermostat low without really freezing our buns off. For those of you who use a form of heating without a thermostat, you are still invited to play. The challenge for you is to use less fuel.

To give you all some additional inspiration, see if you can name the president that made the following speech:

I again ask every American to lower the thermostat settings in all homes and buildings to no more than 65 degrees during the daytime and to a much lower setting at night...

...I must say to you quite frankly that this is not a temporary request for conservation. Our energy problems will not be over next year or the year after. Further sacrifices in addition to lowering thermostats may well be necessary. But I believe this country is tough enough and strong enough to meet that challenge. And I ask all Americans to cooperate in minimizing the adverse effect on the lives of our people.

I know a lot of you can't commit to those types of temperatures and it's just fine if you pledge to drop it down one degree or so from where you usually keep it. Even that makes a huge difference. You'll find that, as the winter wears on, you'll be able to drop it lower as you adjust to the new, lower temperatures. If you don't want to take the icy plunge, don't feel like you have to drop it 10 degrees right away.

To sign up for the challenge, add a comment to this post and pledge what temperatures you will keep your thermostat. I'm pledging for 62 day and 55 night. You are more than welcome to meander through the posts from last year's challenge if you want to know what you're in for.

As I did last year, I will keep a tally of participants (with your high and low numbers) in the right sidebar. Feel free to grab the graphic if you want to promote the challenge on your blog as well.

This year's challenge mascot is the Arctic fox. Help prevent his extinction by preserving the Arctic environment by using less energy, reducing the amount of CO2 added to the atmosphere and stopping global climate change.

How low can you go?

269 comments:

1 – 200 of 269   Newer›   Newest»
Erika said...

I'm all in... hubby is being drug along too, albeit kicking and screaming... He did admit tonight, he does like our bed warmers (rice in bags sewn of scrap flannel, microwaved for a couple of minutes, then placed in bed). The dog sleeping on the bed for a few minutes before we get in helps too.

...e... said...

erm, it's in the 80s here still and will be through christmas, it seems, so turning down to 65 would bankrupt me with ac bills! how about i rush to the wall only when the temp seems to be going down below 65? would that work?

d.a. said...

I think that was Carter who made that statement...

Last winter we kept the temps at 68 during the day, and 62 at night. Will join in the challenge!

ruchi said...

I'm in! Since I'm living in a dorm here, I am going to try and go no heat in my room, and live off the ambient heat from the hall. (It's very very warm in the dorms.) I don't pay for heat though, so it's going to be tempting.

I don't know at all what this winter is going to be like so I have no idea how realistic I'm being with this, but what the hell.

Anonymous said...

Living on Kauai leaves me longing for 65 degree weather sometimes. Although come winter the nightime temps will dip into the 60's, a welcome change. I do try to do my part though by never (okay once) using the AC. If I ran the AC 24 hours a day my electric bill would be around $1,400.00 a month (I asked around) and I think that money could be better spent. So I'll just keep going on the keep your cool challenge.

knutty knitter said...

Wail....its coming into Summer here and I don't use anything for Summer a) because I don't have anything and b) because it never gets that hot inside anyhow.

Maybe I'd better just cut down on ice cream buying.

viv in nz

Adrienne said...

We're in; yes, WE, husband is actually on the bandwagon for this one! He loves the cold and is always hot, so this isn't SO hard for him, but it is a start. We'll be keeping the heat at 60 during the day and 55 at night. We've also vowed to not turn our heat on at our current place; we're moving the first week of November. Can't wait to be a popsicle with you guys!

Riana Lagarde said...

we are in again this year, and in a new to us really old house. just using the hearth to heat the area that it heats and cook our dinners. no electricity for heat or cooking. sewing a quilt for our bed right now and a sleeping sac out of a wool sweater for the baby. should be chilly and fun!

riana in france

Anonymous said...

Last year we kept our thermostat at 62 during the day and 50 at night (love those down comforters!). We have now moved to a cooler climate and have only wood heat. We're in for the FYB challenge, but not sure how to quantify and hit a certain mark...

Kim said...

65 during the day, 60 at night. I'd like to go colder, but I've got a baby who can't keep the covers on. She's in two layers of PJs already!

Anonymous said...

I cant commit to a temp, really, because this is the first year we've participated - as well as being the first year in NC instead of AK. But, based on the Alaska experience, Im really not that worried about having the heat turned up too high. So, Ill say - when no one is home during the day, it can go as low as 50, when we're home, it will probably be around 65. At night, maybe 60. We'll see how it goes!

Segwyne said...

That sounds like a statement Jimmy Carter would have made. He is the only president I know of who cared anything about real conservation.

Sign me up for the challenge. Last year worked well for us to not turn the heater on at all, since it seems to turn on by itself at some preset temperature. Last year I left all of the heaters set at 55 and Standby instead of On and it was never horribly uncomfortable up there, probably because the heat from downstairs drifted up. I don't know what temperature the downstairs heater comes on because its thermostat is an unlabeled dial. It has another control with three settings: high, low, and auto. So I will pledge to keep the heat off this year, since I don't know the automatic turn on temperature for it.

Jena said...

I'm in! We have a corn burner without a thermostat. I have a rough estimate how much we used last year so I'll keep a good record this year and see how it compares. I spent several hours yesterday putting plastic on our windows and I have more to do. It's not the most environmentally friendly way to insulate for sure but I've had 2 kits lying around since last year. By next year I hope to have some nice thick curtains made. I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm in. We don't have a thermostat but I'm going to try to keep the heating off full stop. The cat's just going to have to suck it up... The husband is always hot anyway, so he'll deal...

Rachel said...

I'm in, too! I think 65 in the day time, 60 at night is what I'll commit to. We live in a townhome with a unit on either side so we may be able to go a little lower. We moved in a month and half ago. We aren't sure what it will feel like in here this winter. Lows have hit the upper 30s at night a couple times and we haven't had the heat on yet, so I'm optimistic for my 65/60 goal.

camp mom said...

We were in last year and had to tweak the temps slighly when temps w/out windchills hit -40 to -45 for a few weeks. But we will try to do 58 during day and 55 to 56 at night. It really wasn't all that bad having heat turned down. We all got slippers for Christmas last year and spent more time in the same room building up some body heat. Just got done making more flannel night pants and scavenged some sweatpants my sister-in law out grew...so we may be able to drop the temps even more....

esp said...

I'm in, but looking for tips to do this with a baby that can't sleep with covers. My husband and I regularly kept the house at 65 day/55 night pre-baby, but are worried about the little guy. How do you make sure your little ones are toasty when the house is cold?

Cactus Jack Splash said...

I want to participate. We will only use the oil furnace to keep it 55 in the house, we will use wood to make up the difference in the main living area of the house.
Does that sound okay?

Anonymous said...

I think I can convince my hubby to go 65 day and 60 night. He gets worried that our kids are going to freeze. I'll just have to retrain him to throw another blanket on top of them at night and layer them during the day.

Anonymous said...

I'm in too! 65 during the day, 60 (or less) at night- need to confirm with the hubby about that one since he knows how to set the fancy digital thermostat!

Matriarchy said...

I'm in, but I can't pledge a setting. We stopped using our oil furnace last year, and the thermostat is in the wrong place to measure the temperature in our main winter living space.

We have a rented city house we will heat with oil-filled electric radiators, and left-over oven heat when I bake. We did it last year and it worked well most days.

Anonymous said...

Count me in again please - 58* at night and 66* was what we did last year. I will talk to hubby and see if we can go a little lower...today it's 75* at 8am! Pretty good for WI. I don't plan to turn on the heat until after the election and everyone thinks I'm crazy since it's scheduled to drop into the 30s soon. BAH! I hope we can stay tough! Looking forward to it!

Anonymous said...

Last year, you inspired me to go down to 64 day/54 night. This year, I'm aiming for 62 day/52 night. I run an early childhood program, so that means convincing lots of families to bundle up their kids!
LM

EnviRambo said...

Last year was our first winter in this house. We had a crazy heating bill that forced us to lower the thermostat to 62 day/55 night. It sucked and we were still going through 150 gallons of fuel oil every 3 weeks!!

Nothing has changed, except the price of fuel oil went up. Ugh. I am not looking forward to the family's whining, but we're in.

62 day; 55 night.

Jennifer said...

I am totally in this year again!

I am pledging 62 during the day and 54 at night. We did it last year with great results! I'm hoping that with our weatherproofing we will realize even MORE savings this year.

Missy said...

I'm in. I plan to keep the heat off all winter. May have to set it really low to keep pipes from freezing. (so maybe 45)

I plan to keep warm by layering, lighting candles (soy) and doing some baking. We are lucky to live in an apartment that is surrounded on all sided but (the front and back) with other apartments.

Also, if I just cant warm up, jumping rope or push ups/sit ups warm me up pretty quickly.

Michelle said...

I think it was probably Carter, too.

I have my programmable thermostats set for 55 from 10 PM to 6 AM, 62 from 6 AM to 10 AM, and 60 from 10 AM to 6 PM. Last winter I had custom made window quilts installed, and they really seemed to help cut down on drafts. I never opened the ones on the north facing windows until spring! I noticed, too, that windows that before quilts were wet in the mornings were frozen after the quilts went in. This year's project is to add another programmable (I have four zones for heat, and thus far only two programmables) so I can turn the heat down overnight in the upstairs children's bedrooms. I have been accumulating down comforters and knitting them wool blankets, so they should be ok. I'll get the rooms thawed out in the morning so they can get dressed.

maryann said...

I'm in but I don't know what I'll be able to commit to for temps. I'm due christmas eve and not sure with a newborn in the house for the winter how low I'll be able to keep the temps. I do expect the bay and I will be spending some quality time wrapped up in the fleece blanket quite often. We did replace the roof with metal roof, repaced the skylights with sun tubes, had the attic air sealed and added an additional layer of R19 insulation to the attic in hopes of being able to keep things more efficient, all of which so far seem to be helping. I'll check in on how we're doing.

Anonymous said...

We have always kept our thermostat somewhere around 62 in the winter months, but I'm going to wrangle for 60. Hey, every little bit helps! :)

katecontinued said...

65 day, 50-55 nights

I think the quote is Crunchy Chicken's longed for pResident. I don't think this one has been elected (born?) yet.

Unknown said...

I have set the thermostat for 65 day and 55 night. We're home all day and 67 is the point where it feels chilly so we'll try to dress warmer this year. The kids have loft beds which are really warm up there by the ceiling so I don't worry about them at night. Keeping them cool enough in the summer is the challenge. Well that and not getting hit by the ceiling fan. My kids are homeschooled and completely on board.

Anonymous said...

I'm in though not sure when I will actually have to start using my heat. We are predicted to have temps in the 70's all this week, and not much cooler next week. When the temps actually do get low, (December, maybe?) I will have my heat set on 68 during the day and 65 at night. I might go lower as I adjust.

MissAnna said...

We're in! It'll probably be closer to 63 day and 58 night. I need to do some research as far as what temperature swing is most efficient for our gas furnace. I doubt trying to heat the house from 50 during the day to 62 in the evening would be efficient at all...

CatHerder said...

We have always done 55 at night and 60 during the day. This year we put in all new double paned anderson windows, and we are getting a quote thursday for a wood burning insert for our fireplace. We always kept it low because of breathing problems..our doctor told us cooler was better...so slippers and sweaters, and extra blankets are the order of the day around our house...i hate going somewhere and the heat is pouring up!

Green Bean said...

I'm in. I'll do 64 during the day, 54 at night. Just a smidge down from last year.

Anonymous said...

I'm in! I'll go for 60 during the day and 55 at night. :) I love your blog!!

Abi said...

We're going to see how long we can go without turning on the breaker for our baseboard heat, just using a space heater in the bathroom during showers. I think the ambient heat from the condo complex will keep us above 55, but if it drops too low for too long we might turn it on to 55.

ali said...

We set ours for 64 daytime, 60 at night (last year we did 65/61). I might try and go lower at night. How do you all keep your noses from freezing at night and being all stuffy in the morning at those lower temps?

Anonymous said...

Here's what I said last year: "day and night we won't turn on the heat in any part of the house until it gets below 50. We might be able to go lower, we've just never been there. I lived in LA for 10 years, and forgot what cold was!!"

Yeah. I was INSANE. We did that for quite a while, until I started getting asthma attacks every morning because it was so cold.

So this year, we live in a totally different area with still no central heat nor a thermostat. Fortunately, since it's basically a 2-room apartment, it doesn't take much to heat.

We'll keep it as low as we can go. Probably around 60, and we'll turn off the heat when we aren't home. (The animals have fur coats and will be just fine!)

Anonymous said...

I'm in, but I don't know what I will keep it on this year -- we will have a new baby too, so it's hard to say what will be too cold. It's still in the 70's here in NW Arkansas during the days, so I cant' see turning on the heat for a while now.

I am curious what people do with the little bitty babies and super cold houses?
Erin

Chelsea said...

Okay I'm trying to do the conversion to celsius and I think you're looking about 18 for day and 12.5 for night?? I'm in for that. We already do 18 day and 15 night so that's not to big of a push. We're in Vancouver BC so the weather's essentially the same as Seattle (although a cold start to October).

As for babies, have you tried the sleep sacks? They worked amazingly well with both my kids. No way to kick off the blankets in them.

Anonymous said...

Count us in, 65 during the day(when we're home), 50 at night.

We've always had the vent in our bedroom closed because we like a cool room. During a cold spell last winter, my husband brought the thermometer into the bedroom and it was 39 degrees! You really have to remember to leave your clothes in the bathroom at night, putting on an ice cold bra could give you a heart attack!

diana

Allie said...

We're in. Like some of the other commenters, this will be relatively easy for us (we live in Houston), but there are a few days each winter where we normally use the heat. This time we will not turn on the heater even once.

Fun!

Anonymous said...

i'm in! last year we went from our usual 69 down to 67. this year we'll try for 65. no heat at night, as it doesn't get to freezing here.

Tiff :o) said...

I'm in! My DH got a job in another state. He's been living in Idaho for 3 months (it's been much warmer for him) and I've been living in the mountains of Utah where cold weather set in about a month ago. I never turned the furnace on and only started a fire on mornings when the temps in the house were 62 or lower. I work from home and my fingers would freeze while typing so I couldn't go any lower than 62. When my DH came back to move me up to ID with him, the first thing he did was turn on the furnace and we've had a thermostat war ever since! I'm colder than him by nature but he hasn't had a chance to acclimate to colder weather. We've always stuck to 68 degrees, day and night and he doesn't believe it should ever go any lower but I'll keep working on him to see if the night time temps can get lower. Our cirmstances are different than most. I'll set it to 64 during the day and 68 at night...I'll find someway to get it below 68 at night sometime this winter though.

Anonymous said...

Count me in! Shouldn't be too hard this year since I am pregnant!

Mary said...

I'm in! I finally had to turn on the heat for the first time last night when the inside temp was at 50*. I pledge to keep the thermostat at 65* during the day, but only when I'm home - otherwise it will be OFF.

Anonymous said...

I'm in. We usually do 68 day and 64 night but we just finished installing the last of our energy efficient windows on our main floor so I think we'll be able to go a bit lower, say 65 day and 60 night. I work from home and have a fireplace and lots of wood so I will just make more fires this winter, too. I'll see if we can go even lower now with the new windows and more fires.

My son has finally started sleeping with the down comforter on him recently instead of kicking it off so cooler at night should be easier all around now.

I did the fleece sleep sacks, too for him up until last year because of the blanket issue. It works well for little kids. We also wear a hat inside if we get too cold even with fleece, slippers, blankets. You lose up to 70% of your body heat through your head and it makes a huge difference. You can have little kids wear a hat to bed, too and they pull it off if they get too hot.

Ellen said...

I'm in. We have always kept it chilly (much to my dad's dismay when he visits) but it'll be fun to have the support of others.
We keep it at 62 during the day and 55 at night. We just turned the heat on this weekend. It is in the 40s here. Brrr!

Laura said...

I ordered a 4 lb bag of CherryPits yesterday! I can't wait to make bedwarmers for the both of us. :D
I'm thinking we will just copy you(65day/55night), since we are in your neck of the woods. I have to reserve the right to alter that if David wigs out over the temps. I think he will be fine though.

Also, I am thinking I will restuff the dog bed, so she has a nice cozy place to sleep that isn't our bed. We forget to pull the covers up sometimes in the morning and come home to a bed full of dog fur. Oopsie. :)

Laura said...

Make that 62/55. Schpanks. :D

Margy said...

We'll try this. We have radiant floor heating so have to keep it warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing. We also use our fireplace (wood buring) all winter. I'll put that cute little fox on my blog!

Anonymous said...

We are in! At least (most?) 64 days/55 nights ... although I reserve the right to turn it up once in a while when I can't get warm. I am stocked up on long johns, fingerless gloves (to type in -- I work at home) and shearling boots & slippers. Plus dogs and electric blankets. And I'm planning to whip up some night caps to help with the frozen nose issue.

Lisa said...

Last year we did 63/57 in a not-overly-bracing (save for a couple of weeks) Wisconsin winter. This year we bought a pellet stove, will close off more rooms, and join ya'll in the challenge with dual goals of 60/55 (we'd go lower if the cats didn't protest so vehemently) and not going crazy using the pellets just 'cause we're privileged enough to have them. ~Lisa (aka Dioscita on Flickr)

Frisky said...

of course it's jimmy carter!

well, we just moved from an old, drafty house in indiana with one inefficient heat control, to a one-bedroom apartment in portland with thermostats in each room. can't remember what we did last year, but we'll be saving money, that's for sure.

we're in for 65 day (evening, when we're home) and 60 night. maybe we can bump it down lower from there.

Maeve said...

We had it at 65 day, 60 night. I've lowered it to 64 day, 59 night. I might be able to drop that more as the winter continues.

We've been putting resources into better insulating our home that was built in the 1950s when they didn't care about insulation, they just turned up the furnace. We did the attic this year, as it only had 2-4 inches of insulation throughout. Who knows, in this economy, when we'll be able to deal with the siding, roof and windows/doors.

But this post reminded me I haven't made my window blankets yet. Need to get on that, as we've just had our first winter snowstorm. brr!

JR said...

I'm in! I think I'm going to shoot for 55 day and night. I'm not here much during the day, and the animals prefer the cold anyways.

Gina said...

We're going with no supplemental heating whatsoever! (Not as hard as it sounds - we live in S. California and don't have central heat anyway - just a crappy old floor furnace and space heaters). If it gets really cold we'll build a fire (we have a bunch of oak from a tree which one of our city's garbage trucks hit this year). Now I must go hit the thrift stores and find some long johns.

Anonymous said...

I pledge to not light our pilot.

Farmer's Daughter said...

I'm in! I didn't participate last year, but I did freeze my buns anyway... Last year, we kept the heat at 60 during the day, since nobody's home. At night, we kept it at 64, but I know we can go lower! This year, I'll sign up for 55 day and 60 at night.
We do a lot of work outside even when it's cold, so even a temperature of 60 feels toasty when we come in. That's where the thermostat is kept for oil, but it's often warmer because of the fire. How does it work if we have a wood stove, too? Any advice? Thanks!!!

Lily said...

We use gas heat to heat the entire house. It makes upstairs hot and downstairs cold. Downstairs I also have gas logs & an electric radiator.

I have no idea what kind of impact I'll have on this. The Other Half refuses to be uncomfortable when it comes to his AC & Heat.

Thankfully, we're still in the sweat yur buns situation. Come Nov it will start to get chilly.

Kelsie said...

Well...it's 80 degrees here...but not for long, I suppose. The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a wild, wooly, and snowy winter for Kentucky, and I've got my fingers crossed, because I really, really love awful weather. :)

With that said, we're moving into our new (old) house this week. It's been weatherized as well as a 100 year old house can be--insulation in the attic, weatherstripping, windows re-glazed, new storm windows--but it still has 15 foot ceilings. :) Anything's better than the swiss cheese house we're living in now! Last winter, we kept the house at 58 during the day and 52 at night...and our heating bill was still $200 at its highest point.

This year, we're going to try staying a little warmer--62 during the day and 55 at night. That may change.

I'm getting a chimney person out to look at our two coal-burning fireplaces to see if there's any way they can be converted to wood. If not, I'll bide my time and, eventually, have a wood stove installed in the bedroom when I've got the money.

I'm sewing myself a completely functional Lord of the Rings style wool cloak, so I'm pretty excited about that, and plan on wearing it nonstop all winter long.

Anonymous said...

We keep our house at 58, and my little guy is pretty scrawny - he was a preemie and wasn't able to keep his body temperature stable on his own til he was a few months old.

So we put him in those all-over suits with the foldover hand covers as a small infant, and in union suits as a 1-2 year old. On top of that, a baby sack or footie pajamas (some babies love those sacks. Some babies scream and scream until you free their feet).

And sometimes he sleeps in a hat (so do I). The first winter, we ysed one tightly-tucked-in crocheted blanket - folded in two they are surprisingly warm, but have lots of air holes so if he managed to get his face under the blanket he'd be OK.

But what we found was that when all three of us slept in one room, it got pretty warm - in the morning our room is *way* warmer than the rest of the house just from body heat, and now that he's 3 and sleeps in his own room, he gets cold at 3 or 4 in the morning and comes into our bed.

Early child ed anon - if I could find a child care that kept reasonable temperatures, i would be *so* happy. My guy is always in layers (we take him there in a bike trailer, and our house is cold) and they never think to de-layerize him later in the day when he gets all red and cranky from the 75 degree heat.

Judy T said...

We're in...we keep the thermostat set at 55 except for 5-730 am and 5-9 pm when we're up and about. (I love that programmable thing) Then it's at 65. We live in a 1920's house that we've done our best to weatherize but in January/February it gets pretty chilly. Yesterday it was 80 here in the midwest so hopefully it will be a while before we even have to light the pilot light.

Anonymous said...

The equivalent of this in summer could be building a solar oven! :)

mudnessa said...

im in, i have no thermostat and crappy space heater which i hope i dont have to use at all. also its still pretty warm here so it should be easy to use no cooling or heating for the next few months.

Ron and Rachel said...

I'm brand new to this and HATE being cold. We will try 58 for night, 65 for 1/2 the day and then 68 from 3:00pm till 8:00pm. I have a three year old I don't want to get sick. So we'll leave it at 65 while she is in bed, napping and while we are at work and then 68 when she is awake. Think that will work?

Tina Cardone said...

I'm in for 64 day and night. My pets can't get colder than that. It shouldn't make a difference that I'm not going lower though because I live in an apartment building with south facing windows so it doesn't seem to get even that cold!

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Anonymous said...

We're in and have already started perparing. DH bought new warm pjs for oldest child Saturday. Today, I washed all the children's winter blankets because it is in the 80s today and I could dry them outside on the line. Last year, we dropped from 70 to 68. The way the heating system is constructed this meant that most of the rooms were actually 65. This year, we are going to try 67. If the crawl space was insulated, we could probably go a bit colder. (Our floors are wood and tile). Perhaps a project for next year. We are in the process of re-roofing (the energy-star shingles were back ordered. Sigh.)

--Ave

Anonymous said...

OK Crunchy. Count me in again. Last year we went 65 days and 60 at night, but some days I forgot to increase it to 65 until later in the afternoon. I'll try 59 at night, but I'm not sure about going much lower. We don't heat the upstairs bedrooms, so the temp in there is considerably colder. I'm going to try recycling some old flannel pj's into bed warmers as well. Praying for a warm winter here in the Northeast, Debbie C

Dawn said...

I am going for 67 during the day, and 55 at night. It will create more togetherness in our house with all the huddling under blankets.

TMC said...

I have those bizarre electric floorboard heaters and none of them have thermostats. I just have a thermometer in the main room of the house. They're only on when I'm home and I barely heat only the bedroom at night. I don't heat the place over 62 and at night it gets down to 50 in most of the house. I've learned what sleeping caps are for! : )

Lori said...

We didn't participate last year, but we did keep the temp to 67 day and 64 night. We can probably turn it down a couple of degrees with no major issues, but I need to do some research before we commit to a specific temperature range. I have a small dog with very short fur, so I need to find a method of keeping him warm without heating the whole house. And no, he won't wear a sweater. I've tried. It's hilarious, but non-functional as he does not move at all while the sweater's on. Anyone have thoughts for a low-energy heat source for the little guy?

Anonymous said...

I'm in! We already keep our house on the cool side (68 day, 55 night) but I can drop the daytime temp a few degrees. Put us down for 65 when the house is occupied (love that programmable thermostat).

MamaFeelgood said...

I'm in for 65 during the day when I'm not there, 68 when I am, and 59 at night

Burbanmom said...

Well of course I'm in! Being a transplanted Northerner, this is one challenge I actually excel at!

- Burbanmom at her new address - the Green Phone Booth.

Jazzcreations said...

I am in. Not so sure about hubby. We usually keep it at 68 all the time. With just me and the three younger kids home we will do 65 day and 60 night. I am ALWAYS cold so this will be a challenge for me!

Mist said...

We're in! The husband actually asked me what I wanted to keep the heat at this winter and didn't shirk a bit when I said 65 during the day. I'm still trying to convince him to do 55 at night, but that's my goal. I'm going to try to lower the night temp a little each week from 65 to 55. Maybe he won't really notice...

CoCargoRider said...

We are pledging 60F during the day and 50 at night here in Minnesota

Robj98168 said...

I'm in- thermostats set to 65 day, and 55 most of the evening, except back to 65 when we are home.
I believe that statement was made by Jimmy Carter- The last great president to have the courage to sya Cold? put on a sweater! Also the only former president who practices what he preaches. Can you tell I am an admirer of his?

CuriousNomad said...

I'm in. Already talked to one roommate about not using extra heat upstairs (his computer generates enough!). Not sure about other roommate. No clue on temps - we'll see what is realistic and go from there.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to set my dials at 65 day/60 night and when I'm not home, to start. Last year I tried to go lower and ended up fizzling out. I'm hoping to actually stick with it this time!

Was it Carter? Seems like I got a tax credit on my programmable thermostat around then. I remember when our local malls were dialing down because of the energy crisis, and it was wonderful -- there's nothing worse than shopping (in the days when I used to shop, that is) in a winter coat and an overheated mall!

Adrienne said...

Saw on the local news this morning that you shouldn't have more than a 8/10 degree swing between temps because the furnace has to work too hard to get back up to the higher temp. Something to think about!

jmelyn said...

Okay, jumping in with 60 during the day when no one is home, 65 when we are home and awake, and 60 at night. I'm guessing it won't be too bad...I have people on all sides of me who will be heating. I'll steal their heat. Hopefully. :-)

Anonymous said...

My hero, Jimmeh Cahtuh!

Seriously, I *remember* this speech from when I was a little kid, and I told my mom I was now going to take showers instead of baths because it took less water and the president had asked us to save energy! JC rocks.

Sorry I cannot join the challenge. My husband will. not. not. not. I think he decided that 3 years in England was enough freezing, at all times, not just in winter. Arduous, have fun.

homebrewlibrarian said...

I'm in. Here in Anchorage the outside temperature has been fluctuating from the high 20s to the low 40s but we're on the downward slide to winter. I'd been keeping the heat off to see just how cool I could stand it during the day and even with several layers on, at 53, I knuckled under and set the temp to 60. But as soon as it hits 60, I turn it back down to 50. Since I've had some windows replaced and the soffits reinsulated and sealed, it takes quite a while for the interior temperature to drop. In fact, I can turn the heat off when I go to bed (house temp at 60 or a bit higher if I've been cooking) and it will only have dropped 2-4 degrees over an eight hour period. I won't turn on the heat if it's a weekday morning unless the house temp is near 50. The good news is that the house warms up to 60 within a half hour if I do have to turn up the heat.

I've baseboard radiators throughout so I can't restrict heating but with improved insulation and keeping the thermostat down, the heat won't cycle on all that often.

Kerri in AK

homebrewlibrarian said...

Oops. Didn't leave temp settings.

Home and awake for more than 2 hours - set temp to 60, then back down to 50 once it reaches 60, at low 50s, reset to 60 and so forth

Away or sleeping - set temp to 50

Kerri in AK

Melissa Anderson said...

Okay, I got my husband to commit to 58 during the day and 62 at night and on weekends(I'll try to sneak it down to 61 at night)
Melissa

Anonymous said...

We'll jump in the fun. I think we'll shoot for 67 during the day and 62 at night to start and see if we can dial down from there.

I can deal with heat but cold is a real challenge. I just spent the afternoon looking thru my measly array of "winter clothes". I need me some wool socks!

Anonymous said...

We're in SoCal so we'll commit to NOT using our heater this winter. We didn't use it last year and got by just fine - a good excuse to cuddle!

Anonymous said...

We're in...the heater went on this weekend for the first time because it was set at 63F. I turned it down to 60F and it went off. I told dh and he just laughed and said I was just like his broker, the tightwad, lol. Anyway, the new settings this year are: 45 at night, 60 in the am and evenings when we're home and 55 during the day when no one is home.

I've been gathering all the fleece blankets, crocheted throws, long underwear and comforters to get ready. I'm considering closing off the living room and the vent to it and just heating the rest of the house. Anyone that wants to watch a DVD can wrap up in a blanket!

LisaH, Northern California

Jennie said...

Hee hee.. I'm in. I've convinced hubby into 65. We'll see if I can keep him warm enough at night to make the argument for 55.
I've been winterizing the house all weekend, it was nice to hop on your site and see I'm not the only one.

Anonymous said...

I'm in again! Our house pledges to keep the temperature at 59 degrees during the day (when two of us are home!), up to 62 for late afternoon/evening, and back down to 59 (possibly lower?) overnight, with the heat up to 62 again for a couple of hours in the morning. We live in zone 6, near the shores of Lake Ontario.

Unknown said...

tip re: baby
we used a warm mist vaporizer ($13 at store) to keep the small nursery both warm and relatively moist - it doesn't jet tons of air like a cool mist humidifier - it seems to keep the temperature in the low 60s in the nursery with the door closed.

I know the vaporizer is energy use, but it is much less than it would take to heat the whole house.

We are going for 65 day & 58 at night & 50 when no one is at home for more than two hours (rare with super little kids, but happens...)

Anonymous said...

65 daytime, 59 nighttime

Tara said...

Well, I just got through the first chapter of Depletion and Abundance, so I am ready to join in this year. Normally we are at 67 during the day and 63 at night. I think we can at least manage to take it down a degree or two all the way around.

True Mama said...

I'm in! I've been working on weatherproofing the house so it's less drafty, at least. Applying removable caulk to seal up the doors we don't use and the older, leaky windows in our addition. Rigging up a blanket over one of the previously mentioned windows. Covering the front of our unused fireplace. I'm all over it, baby!

We set it at 67 last year during the day...I'm thinking 65 this year, and maybe 60 at night.

Lisa said...

We'll join with 65/55. We had insulation blown in this summer which seems to be helping us a lot. It is 54 outside right now and 75 inside with no heat on. I can't wait to see how much we save this winter.

Anonymous said...

We're in again this year! Last year we were 63 day (I'm home w/ the kids)and 55 night. I'd like to see if we can go even lower this year so I'm pledging 62 day and 53 night... I want to be able to do 50 at night but it gets sooo cold in the girls rooms upstairs at night I'm not sure yet if I can do that... We have FHW basebord heaters downstairs but upstairs where the bedrooms are all we have for heat is a Rinnai gas furnace in the hallway which does pump out good heat but it's hard to get it to circulate into all of the bedrooms so it gets very cold in the bedrooms overnight.

For those of you with little ones and newborns I would definitely get some of those fleece "blanket" sleepers with the feet or sack type bottoms. We would start off with a onesie and then a layer of thin cotton pjs under the blanket sleeper and top the whole thing off with a fleece sleep sack, knit hat (for newborns) and a thin knit blanket (with lots of holes in the knit just in case it gets near baby's face)tucked in real well across the chest. Neither one of our girls ever came close to freezing and we are in NH where night temps can and do very often get below zero. I actually think the cold temps help babies sleep better at night. I remember being really worried about my firstborn getting too cold in our old house back before we renovated and it had horrible doors/windows/insulation. I asked my dr. at the hospital after my dd was born if the house temp was down to 50 if it would be too cold for the baby. She said, no, it doesn't hurt them at all as long as they are dressed warmly enough for the conditions. She then reminded me that Native American families lived year round in our area with their babies and they managed to survive with no modern heating systems.

Karen said...

I didn't participate last year, but we pretty much kept the house at 65 day and 60 night. We're adding a high efficiency woodburning insert this year, so am not sure how to figure in the wood. Anyway, I'll try for 60 day/50 night, figuring we'll use the woodburning insert most days.
I'll be sure to keep track of our wood usage.
I'm also planning on not turning on the heat until Nov. 1 - I'm in Iowa and it's supposed to be 40 tonight, but I think we can do it!

shabadeux said...

I think I'll go for it. I'd like to try 60 day, 55 night. I actually like the cold quite a lot. My grandparents just gave me some super warm socks, too. The guinea pigs will have a heating pad under the cage floor so they can warm their buns as needed.

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

I work at home so I'll go lower than the presents on the programmable thermostat a bit and go 65 during the day and 55 at night.

Hopefully I won't have to turn on the heat until late November/December until it gets down to 40 degrees outside.

From the lion's mouth said...

"She then reminded me that Native American families lived year round in our area with their babies and they managed to survive with no modern heating systems."

Yeah, but they slept with their babies, they didn't put them in a separate room! Mum's body heat is the best way to keep a baby warm.

Sadraki said...

Sure why not. I'm lucky in Seattle to rarely need to turn the heat on. When I do its usually a few minutes of a space heater. We have radiant floor heat set at 65 day/55 night but that hasn't kicked on yet as its usually low 70s in here due to cooking heat and good insulation. Though my desk is cold since by the windows (need that sunlight) so I got some fingerless wool gloves last winter. I pretty much wore them straight Nov-March.

Kim said...

Count me in. I'm not sure what my numbers will be yet though. Right now, I've got the heat set at 55 day and night (just turned it on last week) and while I'd like to say that's what I'm committing to, I'm not sure how realistic that is. I'm thinking it will be something like 65 day/60 night (even though we don't pay for heat we've always kept our place cooler anyway...)

So far it's OK, and our nighttime temperatures are already dropping into the 20s (and the daytime highs have only rarely been venturing into the 40s) But I'm not sure how sustainble such low indoor temps will be when it gets colder here.

I followed the challenge last year, and read everyone's closing comments.

One thing I'd be really interested in learning is what kind of weather and temperatures OUTSIDE people are dealing with, and how this correlates to what they are able to deal with inside.

I mean, I in Alaska...it is going to get A LOT colder than it is now...we're talking weeks and weeks and weeks of temperatures around 0...and it's almost as certain that we'll have weeks sustained with temperatures 10-15 degrees below zero. I'm just not sure what it will feel like inside if I leave the thermostat at 60. We'll see.

Anyone from similar climates have any thoughts?

Kim said...

I LIVE in Alaska, that is...not just I in Alaska. Though I suppose that still gets the point across. :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm in, but when I go out of town I am required per my lease to keep the temperature at 65 degrees.

So 65 degrees is the lowest I can go for a couple weeks. The rest of the time 62 is probably where it will be. Warm enough to keep the fish tank warm!

Erika said...

Someone once told me to keep my comments, emails, and phone calls to myself after 11 pm. I should have heeded their advice. I will try to stick to 55. Hubby is pretty set on "sixty something..." but he usually doesn't notice when I move the thermostat... or turn it off... :-)

--Erika

Crunchy Chicken said...

For those of you wondering how to keep your baby warm at night, check out this comprehensive post from Mist.

TDP said...

Yep, it was Jimmy Carter. Surely y'all remember him wearing cardigan sweaters during his public addresses? Pity that Reagan removed the solar panels from the white house lawn that Carter had installed previously. :(

It's actually chilly here this week.My condo right now is 69* and the A/C hasn't been on for a week. Hurricain Norbert has sent us some cool air. Someone said that it got into the 40's the other night! - Phoenix doesn't usually see 40's until Thanksgiving! No worries, next week it's supposed to be back up to high 90's. Rollercoaster weather everywhere!

My ambition is to not turn the heat on at all this winter. I love sweaters and winter wear and can't wait to wear long sleeves again. I know I wimped out four times last winter when the inside temp hit 55 or so. I'll set the thermostat at 50* so I can still see what the actual inside temp is. If I turn it totally OFF, OFF is all I can see on the digital screen.

Anyone ever do the old castle thing where beds have heavy curtains all around it - four poster canopy beds were rigged with curtains, which were closed at night to keep the heat in. I don't have a four poster nor canopy, but I was thinking about doing something like this, maybe using some ceiling track they use in hospitals to extend some material down and help retain moist air around my bed. The air here gets so dry. I don't want to get bloody noses or bad sinus infections again like I have in the past several years.
Might also use one of those neti pots too -anyone try those? (Neti pot=little pitcher that you use to pour/tip water solution up/down your nasal passages to keep things moist and germs at bay.)

Good luck everyone!

Anonymous said...

We all have our own neti pots here in our house. Works well for all of us. Our ENT suggeted we all use one year round to help out our allergies and sinus issues. It's well worth it. Our house gets super dry in winter and one if not all of us end up with some nasal infection when we don't use them consisitantly. their great when you have a cold they help clear out all the backed up stuff....

Anonymous said...

We live in northern Vermont. Last year we were at 63F for 2hrs in the am/3hrs at night. 59F the rest of the time. This year I was thinking about 62F when we're home/59F at night. On weekends-daytime temp would be 62F (or 61F if I can sneak the thermostat down).

Then I recently got laid off. I'm not sure I'll be able to sit at the computer all day (taking on-line classes) with it at 59F.My office is on the north side of the house and gets very little sunlight. I was tempted to purchase a space heater but read comments about using a heating pad for your feet so might try that first.

My other option (as long as the roads are plowed back enough so that I can walk along the side )is to walk the 2miles to the library for a few hrs each day. They have wireless and an eating nook..so if I bring my laptop/thermos of tea and a pb sandwich..I'd be all set!Hubby could pick me up on the way home from work.

Eliane said...

We're in but we don't have a thermostat. We've decided to do without central heating this winter. We're in a barn in Wales which is huge and long and cold. So instead of our oil-fired boiler, we're going to rely on the woodburning stove, portable electric radiators with thermostats and thermal underwear!

scifichick said...

I'm in! I think last year we ended up just not turning the heat on at night. I will try for the same this year, and 65 during the day when we are home. Otherwise it goes down to 50. We get a lot of residual heat from the people downstairs and on the sides, I guess it's one plus of living in a condo complex.

Anonymous said...

Count me in. 61 day/ 56 night.

Kristen said...

Well, I'm partially in... I don't think the other people I live with would be too happy if I was totally in :-) Especially 'cuz it's not my house, lol.

I have low blood pressure and am always cold, so we'll see how far I can make it. I'll try to keep it down to 63-65 when I'm home alone during the day, 67/68 when everyone else is here, and back down to 64/65 at night, if I can...

Katy said...

We'll in South Texas I don't expect a freezing cold winter. So I am pledging not to turn my heater on at all.

If something drastic happens, then I will do 65 during the day and 55 at night.

Anonymous said...

CTDaffodil is signing up her house!!
Aiming for 65 degrees 24hrs a day.
used to keep the house at 72 year round.....So this is the first step. Hope the kids like the new flannel sheets and fleece PJs I'm gettig them.

There is talk in town that the school will reduce the temp of the building too - to save on oil.

Anonymous said...

Great idea, but I can't count myself in -- because its not a challenge to me. Generally, I go into the winter with the thermostat set to 50, and around mid-to-late January (through Spring) it starts creeping up towards 60. Also I close doors and registers in bedrooms without plumbing in the walls. When I'm up I wear a hooded sweatshirt, and I sleep with wool socks and balaclava (under wool blankets).... Also, at bedtime, I pull my sweatshirt into bed, so it'll be warm when I put it on in the morning. :-)

Cheering for you (all of you)!

Amanda said...

okay...i aven't done a challenge since the golden garden party, so its time. i am committed to doing 66 during the day (maybe lower if it seems doable and 64 at night.

steffington said...

Due to the crap campus life office, I am forced to live on-campus and therefore have no control over what the temperature is. I can however say, it is too high.

I'm not even talking about energy costs at this point, I mean it is literally too hot on campus during winter, that I am thankful for snow.

The campus is starting this new sustainability endeavor and so I think there may be some lowering, but I'm not sure. Sigh. I have no power.

Nancy said...

I think I'll try it this year... I've got to learn sometime! Can you put me down for 65 day and 60 night? Last year we kept it at about 67-68 day and 61-62 night.

joanm said...

I know it was Jimmy Carter who spoke those words. Oh how we need that kind of leadership again!

I have been keeping my thermostat on 65 at night and when I'm not home, but I guess I could go a tad lower. When I am home and sitting around, I usually don't go above 67 or so. I am always going from warm to cold anyway, (thank hot flashes), so I don't keep changing the thermostat. I love sleeping under the weight of many covers, so I have about 5 layers on the bed!

Sometimes I think the old-time custom of wearing a cap to bed makes total sense! My head is the only thing that gets cold.

Unknown said...

I'm in :) Hubby isn't sure about the kiddo - but Bobbleheads post is awesome! I'll go with 65 during the day and 62 at night.

lae21 said...

I'm in! We live in a fairly moderate climate and usually don't drop much lower than forty (and when it hits 75 we're roasting!), so I'm going to challenge myself to not use the heater at all, or if I do to heat the house up to 60-65 (not sure yet). Usually once we can get the cold, damp air to heat up, the house stays toasty, so I'll try to turn off the heater once the house gets to a comfortable temp.

Chicken Lady said...

I'm in, though in sunny AZ it's not too hard. This winter we are giving electric radiant heat panels a go because we have PV panels making our electricity. It seems less wasteful than using gas to heat the house. Our goal is to be grid neutral. We'll see how it works!

Anonymous said...

I'm in. I plan to make fleece window covers for nighttime (we'll see if that happens!). Thermostat at 65 when everyone's home, 60 at night and during the day (work/school). Hope to not turn it on until after Nov 1!

I'm on a budget plan with the gas (heat) company where they charge you your average payment each month. My goal is for them to LOWER the payment when they reassess in May - despite any higher fuel costs!

Troops 1909 and 5434 said...

I am not ready to drop the thermostat from 68 in the day as I already freeze at that temp. We have decided not to have the thermostat come on until 3 hours later and heat my little office with an electric space heater. Who knows dh may do the same at night.

Anonymous said...

Our local Costco has organic cotton long john style pjs for children at reasonable prices. Thought I would share with the other parents getting the family ready to freeze this winter.

--Ave

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you are helping the UN in alarming our citizens to follow into the slavery of Agenda 21...

You really need to look outside the Al Gore Paradigm. CO2 is not causing Global Warming. You are falling for the "Club of Rome's" enslavement Bill that will tax everyone for CO2 and blame humans for being demons and the evil of the world.

You should really be careful of what you ask for and probably should turn off your TV and quit following what the 4 corporations tell you through it.

You and your friends need to watch this film:
Global Warming or Global Governance?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3069943905833454241

Know the TRUTH about the Global Warming Hoax......
http://pupaganda.com/2008/05/29/know-the-truth-about-the-global-warming-hoax.aspx

Anonymous said...

Following is a link to a website about The Club of Rome, a premier international think tank, responsible for coming up with the lie about Global Warming and the joke that it is being caused by your average joe. Back in 1992 they
publilshed a major report entitled

" The First Global Revolution" .

Here is a quote from that report,

"in searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine, and the like would fit the bill" . Here is another quote from

" The First Global Revolution".

"It would seem that humans need a common motivation, namely a common adversary to organize and act together in the vacuum; such a motivation must be found to bring the divided nations together to face an outside enemy, either a real one or else one imagined for this purpose". The Club of Rome works with the United Nations to develop Policy Guidance Documents, which the U.N. uses in creating its policies and programs. Here is a link and don't forget to read the partial list of members of The Club Of Rome, it is very interesting and not surprising.
----------------------------
http://green-agenda.com/globalrevolution.html
----------------------------
“The common enemy of humanity is man.

In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming,water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome.
The real enemy then, is humanity itself."
- Club of Rome

Anonymous said...

UN Slave reporting for duty! ;)

We're up for this challenge. We have oil heat and it will wreak havoc on our budget if we have to fill the tank more than once.

So, were aiming for 60 during the day and 55 at night. We live in a state with mild winters, so we should be able to do this.

angie said...

I live in Chicago. We made it thru last winter with 55 at night and when we're not home - 59 during the day (when we're home).

Ditto for this year. Maybe I'll try 53 at night.

Erica said...

We are in, we will be spending the winter in a new home......but will stick with what we did last year.

I'll stick with the 60 during the day at 58 at night. We also turn it down to 50ish when we are gone for more than 2 hours at a time.

Joan Lambert Bailey said...

We're in! We keep our thermostat at 55 degrees, and turn off the furnace during the summer so the pilot light doesn't use any additional fuel. So far, so good. We're going on three years of these temps, and we don't mind. Our mothers...they mind. The cats? They just snuggle with us. It's not for everyone, but it fits with our financial plans and our ecological impact.

Live/Love/Life said...

I'm a rookie to the site and trying to be more green in life.
We are putting in newer windows and sealing all cracks. I think it's gonna be a cold one.
I think we can probably commit to 65/60. (I hope). : )

Live/Love/Life said...

Sorry I meant 60/55 -
: )

owlfan said...

I'll try to lower my levels from last year. I didn't find your site until this spring, so no participating last year. Last year was 59 at night, then (with a programmable thermostat - LOVE that thing) 62 for morning wake-up getting hubby and kids off, 65 for lunch to late afternoon and 66 for evening.

This year I'll go for 58 or maybe even 57 at night, probably about the same during the day - but try to stretch out the times before turning it up.

No heat needed here yet, though the windows are mostly closed.

Unknown said...

Nice challenge. Won't work here in Florida *lol* But if it helps. I keep my thermostat for the a/c above 80 degrees. Does this count?

Anonymous said...

We're in too, for 65 during the day and 60 at night. Possibly we'll go down more as we acclimatize... one does acclimatize, right? I hope so!
Thanks for organizing this again, it's very motivating.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I just pledged 65 during the day and 60 at night, but DH just informed me we are set for 64 during the day and 58 at night, so that's what it'll be. I'm checking out last year's challenge post to see how I can make this any easier...

Joyce said...

I'm in, and I'll pledge 68 in day and 60 at night. I'd go lower, but as it is I'll have to battle with the rest of the family to keep it at the pledged temps. We try not to turn it on until November- though some years we just can't hold out that long.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to participate this year. I pledge to go 65 day/55 night. Good luck everyone!

Carla said...

I've decided to tag along. I'll pledge 66 during the day, and 64 at night. With a new baby, and sockless kids I hate to go lower than that. Plus, I don't like cold, so I imagine, I really will be freezing my buns off.

We've been set at 66 for two days now, 2 degrees lower than last year, and so far, we're surviving.

Anonymous said...

I'm new and ready to freeze. However, living in an old Brooklyn apartment building, I have very little control over the temperature. I plan to keep the radiator on it's lowest setting in our common space (can't vouch for my roommate's room). As for my bedroom, I plan to layer up with blankets since I don't have any heating in the room besides one of those poles that runs up and down the structure of a building.

Rachel said...

I'm in again this year. We'll be at 65 day/60 night. I think that's a few degrees colder than last year. I'd go colder at night but our tenants might take some convincing. Have been thinking of reducing their rent if they are agreeable to lower temps. We kept our bedroom (on its own floor and heated separately) at 55 degrees all last winter and it was totally fine. After the first few months we stopped needing our cherry pit warm bags. :) We'll be doing the same with that room this year.

Barb said...

My hubby and I have been "freezing our buns" for years! We just get aggravated paying the high energy costs - we live in a suburb of the windy city - we try every year to make it to Thanksgiving without turning on the furnace - haven't made it that far yet - but we do this ... since we both work during the day - the auto-thermostat is set to 50 degrees from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm - it then goes to 65 until 10:00pm when we set it at ... 45 degrees! We have double layer polar fleece blankets and wear warm jammies - and of course, we snuggle up! I even made our two dogs polar fleece outfits! The only time things change is when our parents visit -- they're elderly and so the heat goes up to 70 for an afternoon once in awhile. So .. definitely .. we're in!

Anonymous said...

I'll set the temp to 52 degrees both day and night - just like I have the past two years.

Jen BK said...

We are in too. In some ways it will be pretty easy since we live in Texas and it doesn't get super cold for the whole winter; however, this is my first winter as a stay-at-home housewife and I don't like to be cold. I'll be making some draft dodgers to block door drafts in the coming weeks. I'll leave instructions on my blog at:
http://www.ragamuffinmusing.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

We are 62 daytime and 68 evening. Hubby won't even flinch, I will be the cold one! No A/C the last few months have me drooling over the gas & electric bills and wanting to keep them low. Everyone will thin I've lost 20 pounds when spring comes and I take off all the layers!

Michelle said...

I am in! I just posted about how I have not turned the heat on yet this year - in MN! We turn on the fireplace to up the temp on chilly mornings or days. Last year we held steady at 68 during the day and 62 at night (baby in the crib). This year I will aim for 65 during the day and 60 at night.

Anonymous said...

I'm really cold-natured and we usually keep our heat at 72 during the day. This year I'll commit to 68 during the day (and try to go down by a degree or so as we acclimate) and 63 at night. Thanks for both the challenge and the encouragement!!
Rebekah

Anonymous said...

We wont go as low as some of you either....I have raynaud's syndrome, which is a stupid and very annoying condition where my fingers and toes turn NUMB, yes numb just from going indoors to teh car in even 40 degree temps outside. It handicaps any motor skills I have until the numbness goes away (sometimes up to 30 mins). and yes, I've tried special gloves, mittens, socks, preheated and not....it never works more than a few minutes. But I am a hearty new englander, and our temps will be 67 in morning and eve (we keep before and after work/school times, even on weekends), and 55 during sleep hours. I think our bigger problem is that we have six people in our household, four of who take daily showers. And while we're attempting to limit to 5 mins for guys, 7-10 for girls (sorry guys, we are vain afterall), it doesn't seem to help! also with six, we cook a lot, and run our dishwasher - another oil consumer. So I'm looking for tips on hot water conservation!! thanks all.

Elizabeth said...

We've got our thermostat set for 65 during the day, 60 at night. My hope/guess is that with those settings, the new furnace we installed late last winter, and the insulation we're planning on putting in the attic, we can cut our gas bill in half versus last year.

Anonymous said...

My actual numbers are a bit confusing as we have two furnaces with the ability to preset four times/temps each, but I'll be having 55 as the low for the majority of 12 hours per day for each, and 64 as the high for the majority of 12 hours each, hitting a few temps in between throughout the 24 hour day for a couple of hours each. (See what I mean?) We'll see how it goes, but with new attic insulation, new 1st floor windows, some taping on the 2nd floor windows, and the decrease in preset temps from last year (I checked the presets....I had it up to 69 and only as low as 62) it should make a big difference.

Desiree said...

We're in! We'll do 62 day 55 night. We've got three kids ages 4, 2 and 3 months. The 4 and 2 year olds sleep together and we just pile on the blankets. They sleep in those lovely footie pajamas and like the air cold while sleeping. Our 3 month old sleeps with us and loves to cuddle all night so she stays plenty warm!

Mel said...

We are in, but not sure for the temps yet!

This year our gas prices have skyrocketed! And the electric here is dirt cheap (ie: 1.47 per unit of natural gas and .09 per unit for electric), so we are going to turn the gas heater down to something and use electric heaters for when we are at home.

Hopefully we won't freeze our buns too much!

Anonymous said...

I have a question for everybody in this challenge who has kids:

Are any of you ever afraid that some concern troll is going to make trouble for your family based on the idea that you're raising your kids wrong? Not on the internet, in real life?

Someone over on Sharon Astyk's blog is accusing her of child abuse for keeping the house at 52, so I'm thinking about it again.

I'm not seriously worried about it, given that we're white and middle class and in our 30s and go to a regular MD on the socially approved schedule. But, especially since my kid is seriously underweight and crazily self-bruisingly active, I always have this little fear that at the daycare or when he starts school he's going to set off some mandatory reporting button (or, worse, I'll get arrested at a protest and they'll take him) and the social worker will be all ...what's up with these pictures of the kid sleeping in a winter hat? Oh, I see, you feed him tofu for breakfast because he likes it, sure. And you've never bought him a new pair of shoes? Ever?

Anonymous said...

oops, that's me, Rosa. Didn't mean to be anon.

Crunchy Chicken said...

Hey Rosa, I just spent the last 1/2 hour wading through all the comments over on Sharon's blog. I suppose there are some people who could be concerned depending on where they live and how rigid their neighbors are.

But, I think for the most part, if your kids are happy, healthy and not complaining, there isn't really much to worry about.

Anonymous said...

Count us in!

mary grace said...

I'm in! Found your site through A Cultivated Life. We'll keep ours down to 62 in the day and 55 at night. Shouldn't be that difficult I don't think... we're on the second story of an apartment complex and my husband is a human heater so I should be ok both day and night! If not, we have lots of blankets to curl up in :)

Angie said...

I'm in, but my family will resist. So I'll go one degree down at a time. We're in TX though, so not cold here yet. I did turn the AC off mid-September and watched the electricty bill drop $200 for those two weeks. We're enjoying the cooler air, and the open windows. I don't want to turn the heat on till December (we'll see how that works and if I get voted out of office. ha!)

A. Milkweed said...

Hmmmmm, we don't HAVE a thermostat, but we'll use 62/55 as targets. Our house is strawbale, and we heat with wood (scraps from a local pallet mill which would be burned as waste if we didn't go pick it up!). I'm trying to finish up my thermal roman shades (brand name of Warm Windows - they're really great!) to keep warm air in and cool air out. Yehaw!

Brandi in TX said...

this will be our first year to participate. This will be a great way to keep from going broke. In addition to the great ideas of bed warmers we will also close off our multi-purpose room and block with a draft dodger, plus I will be winterizing the house. As far as the thermostat goes our goal will be:
10 pm to 6 am - 60
6 am to 9 am - 65
9 am to 10 pm - 62

I despise cold so I think this will actually be hardest on me but I am very excited.

Anonymous said...

It's our first year for this challenge, and we can start with 67during the day and 65 at night. Right now we're shifting from a warmer climate to a colder one with a recent move, so it is a definite change! Now I just have to convince my husband to wear a long-sleeved shirt instead of a t-shirt each evening to make this work more smoothly ;) Hopefully we can go lower as we continue with the challenge!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! We haven't turned the heat on yet since we're trying to preserve the propane in our tank as long as possible. I think we'll be shooting for 64 degree days and 60 degree nights.

K E Fleck said...

The Rockin' Granola Household is IN! We've got a new baby in the household this year, but I think we'll still aim for 68 during the day and 64 at night.

Here's to lower heating bills! Yahoo! :-)

(and thanks again for organizing this - you ROCK, mama!)

Secret Garden Supper Club said...

We're in.

We have a programmable thermostat that we set at 60 all day until we come home and then it's 66. At night it's on 50.

I have a bunch of ideas to conserve heat or generate free heat that I will post on my blog.

Anonymous said...

Ok we are in as well. We have a small row house but the house on one side is empty due to renovation, so it might be hard. 62 during the day and 55 at night.

Anonymous said...

Alright, I'm in. We are doing 62 from 8-5, 70 from 8-10, 62 from 10-5. The house is really well insulated so much of the time the heat isn't running at all.

Anonymous said...

Of course we are in. We were in last year. Keeping it the same as last year though...
62 when home
55 when gone or at night
may try to do 53 at night, but gotta watch the pipes

Jennifer said...

We're in! I'm going for 63 during the day and 55 at night. Time to pull out the warm blankets. I think I'll have to get some gloves and cut out the fingers tips so I can keep writing late at night!

GentleSoul Arts said...

I'm in!! I had the thermostat set at 66 last year. I'll set it for 65 during the day and 60 at night.

Geggie said...

I'm in again this year. It's my first winter in Chicago, so we'll see what I can tolerate. I'm also buying a space heater to only heat the room i'm in!

59 day, 55 night.

*~*Laura*~* said...

My mom just recommended your blog and so far I LOVE IT!! I recently challenged my parents, sister, and boyfriend to a YEAR of no shopping.. trying to cut costs and be more ecofriendly all around, this fits right in. My boyfriend, Trey, is going to be more of a challenge than the cold will with this one! He likes it nice and toasty. lets go with: 65-68 day (depending on what trey lets me do) and 60 night!

Jenny said...

This is our first time so we're gonna go for 65 during the day and 55 at night. We're hoping to turn our lower level of the house even lower & use the fireplace instead. Need to make some of those bed warmers...

Jessy, Greg, Grace, Jack, Nora, and Lexi said...

We're in! I'll have to say 65 during the day and 58 at night...for now. What better motivation to get around to finally making a quilt!! I've been wanting to try one forever!

Lisa Zahn said...

We're in again this year! We are starting at 64/65 daytime (last year's high temp, down from 70) but we're hoping to go down to 62 daytime. We'll be at 58 or less nighttime.

Anonymous said...

I'm in too! We've been trying to edge down the temperatures each year for the last couple. This year, I've got the thermostat programmed for 61 daytime, 58 at night. We've discovered the joys of wool everything, wear hats as needed (asleep or awake), use a space heater in the bathroom when showering, warm up the bed when we first get in with an electric blanket, use down comforters on the bed & when we're not moving around.

For our senior dog, we got a fleece blanket with mylar in it so it reflects his body heat back to him. This goes on top of his orthopedic foam bed & he loves it. He also has a fleece jacket to wear in the house when the outdoor temps drop (in WI - that means around 13 or lower).

I've really noticed how the comfort level of a particular thermostat setting can really vary depending on the outside temperatures. I suppose it means we have more drafts to seal up!

Unknown said...

We're in.

When I married my husband 25 years ago, he kept the temps low and I used to freeze! I'd sneakily turn up the temp when he wasn't looking or when he wasn't home.

That was a long time ago! Half of you probably weren't even born yet!(I'm not that old, really!).

So I'm used to it now. I'm the one turning the thermostat down and telling the kids to put on a sweatshirt.

We have one of those cozy, warm blankets to cuddle under in the living room and on our beds.

So, we'll probably do 65 during the day and 58-60 at night.

Just think of all the energy we're saving collectively!

Adrienne said...

We're in too. We are living with my parents while our house is being build: so while we're here, I'll turn the thermostat down when no one's looking. :) And at our new house, we'll have a woodstove which, for this year and probably the next several, will be fueled with [formerly] standing deadwood. We'll be aiming for 65F day and 55F night time.

Anonymous said...

okay, I'm going to give it a shot. I already have the thermostat set to 58 at night and 65 during the day. I also set it to go down at noon to 60, since that's when the sun starts to warm the house up. It's a really nice day here today but most days even when it's cold, the sun has heated the house to over 70 without the heat kicking in. Here's hoping for a sunny winter season.

lauren said...

Count me in! We are at 60 degrees night and day in our house.

But, we have our bedroom vent off completely and use a programmable space heater set at 62 at night.

Beautiful Each Day said...

I'm in. Last winter I didn't yet read your blog, but we were practicing to move to a new home with no electricty or natural gas, so we turned off our furnace entirely for several months. At night we all (2 adults, 3 kids aged 2-11) wore themals under regular jammies. Getting up and showering in the morning was hard, but I found that I actually slept more soundly. Oh, we also moved the two smaller children into our very tiny bedroom.

Now we have moved, and while we do have electricity, we will be relying on a wood cookstove for heat. We live in Northern California, and so far we have had a few nights in the 30s, mostly 40s. The house is in the 40s or 50s when we get up in the morning. We all cuddle on the couch under blankets a lot. We haven't had a fire yet. We'll see how long we can wait.

-Robin

BerryBird said...

Count me in again. Last year we did 62 during evenings/weekends, and 56 during nights/workdays. I think we'll drop to 55 at night. We always wear long johns and mulitple layers of sweaters and wool socks, and keep comforters on the couches for huddling under during lazy times, but pushing mush lower than 62 in the evenings would be very hard.

We did turn the heat on one afternoon last week after 8 straight days of low temps in the 20s and 30s, but haven't turned it back on since, despite several snowfalls. It will be in the 20s again tonight -- we'll see how long we can hold out.

Beaweezil said...

Wow, 188 is a lot of cold buns, count me in as 189. I wasn't going to sign up as I though I really had this under control, then I actually did the math and converted your temps to Celcius, holy smoke, you're hard core!

I do like challenge so sign me up.

Krista said...

I am in Mississippi and my goal is to not turn the heat on at all.

This is our first winter here, so I am not sure if it is even possible but I was talking to a woman yesterday who said she has never used hers, so maybe!

Wish me luck. lol

Anonymous said...

I've set it at 62 degrees when I'm home and awake, 55 degrees during the night and when I'm away at work.

Hannah said...

Yep--we've been freezing already too and plan to stay that way until the spring thaw. Our pilot light won't stay on, so instead of the 58 we were at last year, we've been at 52 or so for several nights...

Anonymous said...

My husband and I are in, though not as hardcore as some of you guys! I'm home all day, so there's not much empty house time. But during the day, I keep it at 64, and we sleep at 62. To convince us to get up in the morning, and to get us sleepy in the evenings, we go to 68. It doesn't feel very hard. We also got a rug for our first floor, and it makes up some for the concrete slab, no basement, underneath.

Sarah said...

Count us in! We are at 61 during the day (with presto log burning in the living room when it is very cold, that's where the thermostat is so it keeps down our costs), and 55 at night. I just put on the storm doors yesterday!

Michelle Murphy said...

glad to have found your site..i have for the past several years turn down the t'stat to conserve..glad to see that others out there are with me on freezing the buns..i keep my t'stat at 60 durnig the day and 55 at night

z.briedis said...

hey. i live in up up upstate ny and keep the stat at 55. baking helps. a down vest. and we start up the woodstove soon we wont need the lp at all.

Joy said...

Is it too late for me to climb on board?

Anonymous said...

count us in. has anyone come up with a good way to heat the rice without a microwave? for now it's the a couple of kids per bed, fuzzy socks and a dog or two for good measure. we also have space heaters for the nights it gets too cold. what about the old fashioned bed warmers you heat in the fireplace?

Amy said...

Haven't posted yet, but we are chillin' over here too. So far we are at 65 during the day, and 62 at night. I will bump down the night temps a bit once I the fabric I found on freecycle sewn into curtains for our patio and deck doors, to keep some heat in.

Anonymous said...

Count me in from Oklahoma. Shooting for 65 day/60 night. We did manage to keep the heater OFF through the month of November except for one night it was expected to go below freezing.

Anonymous said...

Count me in! We're keeping the temperature at 55 at night, 60 during the day, and 65 in the evening (when I'm not so active). Fleece-lined jeans, wool socks, felt clogs, and long underwear keep me toasty during the day. And I love my down comforters at night.

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