The chill of late fall finally upon us, my HVAC installer came out to check the balance of the systems, install new super-filters, and hook up the humidifier (though he can't really test until it gets dry enough to create a need). All as part of our initial installation costs.
He decided that the 2nd/3rd floor heat was not balanced as nicely as he'd like, so he did yet another load evaluation (couldn't find his original), then spent a full day here with his cutie-pie assistant, getting me all set up.
They even build an insulated cover for my 2nd floor emergency exit door which totally not installed correctly, so that we could just bash right through the cover and door in case of an emergency and lose a lot less heat in the mean time.
He says that we need to insulate the unfinished attic room where the unit is installed, and if he says we need to do it, we'll do it. Not this weekend - too much stress going on. But maybe next. We'll see.
We'll need them to come out and balance the first floor a bit as well, since the office is always a good 6 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. Then again, that's where the dogs sleep, so maybe it would be ok for them to be at 66 while the rest of the downstairs is at 60.
Speaking of temps, HVAC guy is amazed that we actually LIKE the thermostat set to 66 while we're here. He can't think of a house he's serviced where 72 wasn't considered the lowest comfort setting.
He also doesn't get why I want the thermostat programmed so that unless it's less than 55 in the house, the electric supplement heat does not come on. We always have the option of turning it back on if it gets wicked cold, but we really don't mind that it may take 2 hours to get up to temperature without using the expensive electric supplement. I mean, the thermostat is actually designed to ramp up the temps slowly between automatic setting, so if we say that we want it to be 66 at 5pm, it starts bringing the heat up at 3:30 so that it can do so more efficiently
We're just into sweaters and down comforters around here.
In other news, we'll hopefully have at least two estimates for getting a new dining room floor put down within the next two weeks. It would be totally luverly to get it put in place by mid-December, but that still might not be realistic.
And in even other news, very little has been done here around Casa de Jorge, a combination of V and I both being super-stressed for a variety of reasons, and my lifelong asthma deciding that it was tired of making only an occasional quick walk-on bit-part appearance in my life, and so now it's kicking my ass with a vengeance. Nothing like suddenly finding yourself feeling as if you were being suffocated to get you into the work-on-the-house mood. Ugh.
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You are my sister in so many things, as we've both already noted. But this heat thing? Seriously, 66 is FINE -- actually, as I think you know, I set mine at 65. So I win, ha!
But of course you have Von trained to ask you first before turning it up. Me, I've never succeeded at that partner-whispering technique.
How'd you do it?
Well, if compromise hadn't been part of the overall Partner Whisperer technique, I'd have it at 64 during the day and 58 at night.
Another part is threatening to make V take over the bill paying responsibilities so that the cost is totally clear.
But trust me: I only have success in certain areas. I think I'd trade complacency with regard to the thermosstat and a stubborn unwillingness to wear glasses while painting or remember to sand every spackled spot or to color within the lines, for an ongoing thermostat battle and someone who had high standards in the painting department.
Yeah, I wound up leaving mine at 60 at night because if I set it any colder he'll crank it when he wakes up. Hello? When you sleep in your jockey shorts, you're going to get cold on the way to the bathroom. Deal with it!
*snark* Fortunately when I got V some flannel PJ bottoms it was love at first feel: "Oh wow!! They're WARM!" Well DUH!
And I had that same battle with V'd dd and niece when they lived with us - cranking the heat to over 80 so that they could wear their thin knit pants and spaghetti strap t-shirts to hang out in. Uh... nope, not happening.
So it’s been a long time since your HVAC unit was installed. Well, let’s hope it’s still in good condition. After all, your HVAC installer will be happy if he sees your unit doing fine after such a long time. Actually, you can turn the thermostat down to 55, if you’re going out. But during the day, 66 to 72 is the best range to save energy and money.
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