Who wins?

[EKS]

Say that you and another person are in a room together.  One of you is cold and the other is just right.  Does the heat go on?

Or the opposite.  You are just right and the other is too warm.  Does the heat go off?

Assume that the cold person is wearing three sweatshirts and that the warm person is wearing a long sleeved t shirt.

[Ottakee]

If cold person has on long warm clothes, socks/slippers etc then heat can go on and warm person can switch to t shirt and shorts.

if cold person is in a t s shirt and shorts with bare feet, a.k.a., my son, then cold person needs to put on more clothing.

If this is a continued issue, called person, might want to get thyroid checked

[EKS]

2 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

If this is a continued issue, called person, might want to get thyroid checked

Couldn’t it also be the warm person with the thyroid problem?

[mommyoffive]

Whose house is it?

[fraidycat]

It's me. I win. 😁 

Actually, our house doesn't have consistent temperature throughout, so what ends up happening is we don't stay in a room together. One of us will move to a colder/warmer area if we are uncomfortable in the room we tried to be in together.

[EKS]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Whose house is it?

Both.

[mommyoffive]

Well in my house, I control the thermostat.  Always have.  But even more so now that I am starting to have hot flashes.  🙂 

But in that scenario, the cold person.

[itsheresomewhere]

You can only take off so many clothes before you shock a guest or a neighbor complains.  You can always put more on. 
 

I am in the camp of put on another layer.  

[lewelma]

Hot water bottle for the cold person, and package of frozen peas for the hot person. My attitude is that we should use as little energy as possible in the era of climate change. So if it is winter, the house stays cool and the cold person uses a hot water bottle. If it is summer, the house stays warm and the hot person uses frozen peas. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by lewelma

[Indigo Blue]

Who wins? He who holds the phone that has the Smart thermostat control. 

[forty-two]

30 minutes ago, lewelma said:

Hot water bottle for the cold person, and package of frozen peas for the hot person. My attitude is that we should use as little energy as possible in the era of climate change. So if it is winter, the cold person uses a hot water bottle and the house stays cool. If it is summer, the hot person uses frozen peas and the house stays warm. 

That's how it works in our house - we've mutually agreed to the thermostat settings and stick to them.  We do negotiate wrt turning fans on/off, though.

[Not_a_Number]

I'd be the cold person and I think I'd win, because I stop functioning soon enough after I'm cold, and I need to be functional for our family to work! 

[cjzimmer1]

In our house that would be based on the cheapest option.  Aka the cold person needs to put on more clothes or the hot person needs to remove some.  However, I get that that only works to a point.  For good or bad, our house has drastic different temperature between upstairs and downstairs.  So our real solution is the person whose hot hangs out in the colder basement and person whose cold hangs out in the upper level.  Temps doesn't get changed on the thermostat unless someone is absolutely not function due to the extreme discomfort they are dealing with.

[Lecka]

For the most part — we go with my husband’s preference in the daytime, but my preference in the bedroom at night.  

[SKL]

The warm person could change into a t-shirt and shorts, but if he's still hot, the cold person should do something to warm up.

I used to be the cold person more often than not.  When already dressed in layers, other options include doing some exercise, warming up some socks by a heater or in the dryer before putting them on, holding a hot drink in the hands, taking a warm shower or even just running the hands under warm water.

Since the joys of perimenopause and then menopause, I no longer side with the cold person.  It's torture to be hot and unable to cool down.

[prairiewindmomma]

4 hours ago, lewelma said:

Hot water bottle for the cold person, and package of frozen peas for the hot person. My attitude is that we should use as little energy as possible in the era of climate change. So if it is winter, the house stays cool and the cold person uses a hot water bottle. If it is summer, the house stays warm and the hot person uses frozen peas. 

This is us, generally. I am currently under an electric heating blanket because the thermostat has adjusted to the overnight (cooler) temperatures we keep the thermostat at in winter. We generally try to adjust the person, not the air temperature of an entire house. 
 

 

[MEmama]

The cold person in our house just wraps in a blanket and snuggles a cat or heating pad.

A person can always get warm (jumping jacks or vacuuming work too) but IME it's much more difficult to cool down in a hot, stuffy environment. 

[Pawz4me]

8 hours ago, forty-two said:

That's how it works in our house - we've mutually agreed to the thermostat settings and stick to them.  We do negotiate wrt turning fans on/off, though.

This. Our thermostat is set and stays. No fiddling. People adjust. But also ---

7 hours ago, SKL said:

It's torture to be hot and unable to cool down.

 

41 minutes ago, MEmama said:

 

A person can always get warm (jumping jacks or vacuuming work too) but IME it's much more difficult to cool down in a hot, stuffy environment. 

I agree with both of these. I was the always cold person for the vast majority of my life, and then the always hot person for about the last ten years. Having considerable experience with both extremes I can say that in hindsight I found being cold much, much easier to deal with than being hot. When you're at home it's super easy to put on another sweater, wrap up in a heated blanket, go in a bedroom with a small space heater, etc. Being cold can be cozy once you snuggle up in a blanket and get warm. Being hot is totally miserable and very difficult to remedy unless it's cool enough outside that you can get some relief there. Plus being hot makes you feel nasty and sticky and like you need to take seven showers a day. A frozen bag of peas or an ice pack isn't going to do much, if anything. I would be so very happy if I could go back to being the constantly cold person. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Pawz4me

[almondbutterandjelly]

Me.  I win.  And I would be the hot person in any scenario. I control the thermostat.  But I'm not unreasonable or cruel, so some negotiation might be possible.

[NorthernBeth]

I am always the cold person.  If I am dressed warmly, have a warm blanket tucked around me, have had a hot cup of tea or coffee, and still feel so cold that I am not functioning well, then the heat goes up.  My husband can always strip down to a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and have a glass of cold water.   However, we also keep a small plug-in heater that I can sit near so we don't have to heat up the entire house just because I feel too cold.   The person who is too warm could also step on our porch and enjoy the wintery -30 weather we are having and cool right down if they are having an issue.  However,  this is mostly  a winter issue for us.  In the summer, we both like it a bit on the cold side.  In fact we rented our current house with the awareness that it would probably be a little cold in the winter, but it has a nice cool basement that seemed like it would be very pleasant in the summer. 

 

 

[Spryte]

We adjust the thermostat until we find a happy medium. 

Unless the cold person is running around in shorts and and a t-shirt, then that person would probably put on more clothes before thinking of or mentioning the thermostat.

This isn’t something that creates any conflict here, so no winning or losing. 

[wendyroo]

I am always the cold person. I fully realize that the thermostat is reasonable (not luxurious, but reasonable), so if I am cold I add layers (sometimes right out of the dryer), use a blanket, drink something warm, decide to bake something and hang out in the kitchen, or use a heating pad/blanket.

If none of that works, and I'm still miserable, then I will bump the temperature by a couple degrees.

[Laura Corin]

In our house, the person wearing three sweatshirts would be expected to put on some proper warm clothes - a thick fleece, wool sweater or down vest, plus lined trousers, wool socks, a merino Buff and warm slippers.

[stephanier.1765]

This is my house during the winter. DH prefers to wear shorts, short sleeve shirts, and go barefoot, while I prefer to wear weather appropriate clothing. I control the thermostat and he will complain about being cold. In our situation, we both could accommodate the other - I could take off clothing while he could put more on. So the winning comes down to money. By putting on more clothes, he can save us money by not having to change the thermostat and so that's what we do.

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

In our house, the person wearing three sweatshirts would be expected to put on some proper warm clothes - a thick fleece, wool sweater or down vest, plus lined trousers, wool socks, a merino Buff and warm slippers.

That’s a lot! 

[Laura Corin]

4 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

That’s a lot! 

It's winter. That's how we dress. For us, reducing energy use is both an economic and environmental aim.

Eta that's how I am dressed right now.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Laura Corin

[Not_a_Number]

Personally, there's a point past which I won't warm to functionality whatever I put on -- I'll just be sitting there shivering, oddly reluctant to move at all (some sort of instinct to conserve to energy, I think?) 

At that point, I either need the temperature turned up or to start moving around. 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, stephanier.1765 said:

This is my house during the winter. DH prefers to wear shorts, short sleeve shirts, and go barefoot, while I prefer to wear weather appropriate clothing. I control the thermostat and he will complain about being cold. In our situation, we both could accommodate the other - I could take off clothing while he could put more on. So the winning comes down to money. By putting on more clothes, he can save us money by not having to change the thermostat and so that's what we do.

Yes I control our thermostat too for money reasons.  
 

We sleep at 65 in winter and it goes up to 68 during the day.  If I am doing  nothing I get cold but I just bundle up.  If I am working around the house and still cold I might bump it up.  Ds21 is hot natured….but he rarely complains. One time recently he did say is it hot in here? And I had to agree.  In the Sumer we sleep at about 70 and keep it at 74 during the day unkess I am working and I will drop it to 70 for sure.  Trying to work inside with it hot is not tolerable.  

[Laura Corin]

For fun.

[TheReader]

So, when we moved back from Brazil (where we had no heat in the house), I made DH promise I would never be cold inside my own house again. 

the way that works at our house -- if I'm cold, and already wearing long pants, socks, and at least 2 layers of long sleeves, then I get to put the heat up. If he's hot, and wearing long sleeves, he would change to a short sleeve. 

In the summer, likewise, if he's warm and wearing shorts/t-shirt, he can put the A/C colder as long as it doesn't dip so cold that I have to put on extra layers. 

In the main living area of the house, we have a separate room heater/space heater (entertainment center with one of those "electric fireplace"  heaters) so that I can warm that space if I'm cold and no one else is. We also keep "couch quilts" in all the rooms for this reason.

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

For fun.

Ok that is not bad at all. You look cute btw.  

[EKS]

14 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

For fun.

That's definitely in line with how I dress.  Perhaps a little on the light side!

[Laura Corin]

1 minute ago, EKS said:

That's definitely in line with how I dress.  Perhaps a little on the light side!

I'm wearing three layers under the fleece...

 

[Scarlett]

10 minutes ago, EKS said:

That's definitely in line with how I dress.  Perhaps a little on the light side!

What is the temp set on?

[Laura Corin]

4 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

What is the temp set on?

Ours varies by room. The sitting room is at 16.5 degrees C right now, so around 62 degrees F.

[marbel]

I'm usually a little cool in the house in the winter, so rather than turn up the heat, I keep a warm fleece close at hand so I can put it on as needed. Always wear socks in the house; in winter I wear very cozy merino hiking socks. In summer, it's light no-show socks. (I dislike walking about in bare feet.) 

I'd rather keep it colder in the house in winter, and bundle up, so that I can (somewhat) justify using the a/c in the summer, when the heat and humidity make it almost impossible for me to function. Plus I get cranky. 

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

I'm wearing three layers under the fleece...

 

this is what I do too.  I'm always so cold and wear multiple layers in the house during our long winters.  I've even worn a beanie or put a hood up as well. But I'd rather do that than spend a fortune on warming up the house enough to keep me comfy.  Poor DH - I'm always so bundled up except for maybe a few weeks in the summer!  

 

[Halftime Hope]

  I don't know if this is just our experience, but chronic disease can mess with a person's thermostat, making them unbearably hot.  For those of us who don't have that problem, an electric blanket is a godsend.

 

 

 

 

[katilac]

8 hours ago, MEmama said:

The cold person in our house just wraps in a blanket and snuggles a cat or heating pad.

A person can always get warm (jumping jacks or vacuuming work too) but IME it's much more difficult to cool down in a hot, stuffy environment. 

This. I don't find that coolness 'travels' on the body the way that warmth does to begin with, but,  even if I can cool my body down to some extent with large ice packs, it's still going te be difficult to breathe and relax in a hot, stuffy environment. The same temperature at high humidity is much less comfortable than the same temperature at low humidity. 

So, living in a semi-tropical area does mean we run the A/C just to keep the humidity at a manageable level sometimes. It's not strictly for personal comfort; our climate is very conducive to mold growth, which can be bad for your health and which can consume more resources to eradicate than to prevent. 

We use fans and mini-heaters when it's just a question of getting a bit more comfortable. 

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Ours varies by room. The sitting room is at 16.5 degrees C right now, so around 62 degrees F.

That where we keep our daytime temp during the winter (off at night) and I’m usually so hot I generally wear a tank top or t shirt lol. 
I envy people who run cold. It’s so much cozier! 

[kbutton]

In our house, both parties would do what they could to warm up or cool down, and the person that "wins" is the one that can't really flex anymore, if that makes sense.

DH is the cold person, but it's largely a state of mind unless he's tired. Sometimes he gets himself so warm that he sweats, and then he's cold because he's damp. If he feels warm and happy with a certain temp today, tomorrow his body will want it even warmer, and so on. He used to enjoy marching band in 100 degree weather wearing a wool uniform, and it wasn't because he was cold all the time. There are many times that he's not cold, but he would prefer to be warmer anyway. Then there are days that simply because the sun is shining, he will run around in shorts and a t-shirt, and I am bundled up because it's actually cold. There is no making that kind of weirdness happy.

When I get hot enough, it's extremely difficult to cool down. It seems to come from within like a furnace. I do cold drinks and all kinds of things to cool off--I sometimes sleep with wet towels on the warmest part of my body with a fan pointed right at them. I keep a variety of warm and cool clothes in our 1/2 bath on the main floor at all times because it's not unusual for me to add and lose clothing all day long depending on my activity and where the sun is in relation to where I am in the house, so I am not draconian about things. I also have times that I can't get warm, but that's almost always when I am fighting off a cold or have a particular kind of migraine (it doesn't happen with all migraines). My body temp will drop to 95, and it's hard to warm up. No one knows why this happens--my thyroid is fine (I take iodine to keep it close to optimal). Once in a while, I'll be achy from bad weather and struggle to get warm. I usually don't need heat turned up; it's more efficient to use a heating pad.

We have some temperature variation in the house, but we've learned that it's our central open stairway that creates the problem. If we keep all the bedroom doors closed upstairs, it keeps the temperature from getting extreme in any one spot (except for the bedroom above the garage--we have to do specific things to cool that one down in the summer as it's also on the SW corner of the house--we are hoping to get a screen door for the side door of the garage to keep it cooler).

[gardenmom5]

warm person can easily put on a short-sleeve shirt.

what type of footwear?

cold person - warm socks and sheepskin (the real stuff, not the knock offs that aren't worth the price you pay) slippers/booties/etc can make a huge difference.

warm person can wear flipflops

 

you can lose a lot of heat through feet.

 

and I've had days I had a *warm* fleece jacket on and was standing in the sun in a parking lot trying to warm up.  I was freezing. Did I mention it was 80 degrees F?  (26.7C)

[lewelma]

5 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

It's winter. That's how we dress. For us, reducing energy use is both an economic and environmental aim.

Eta that's how I am dressed right now.

My indoor winter garb:

long johns, jeans, fleecy over trousers

a merino wool tank top, merino shirt, merino turtle neck, polar fleece, and down puffer vest

socks and slippers

Why heat when you can just dress warmly? 

However, I would argue with those of you who just want to spend the energy to cool a house down if you are hot. Frozen peas on the neck do wonders. I've had to do this after I see the chiropractor, and it will drop your body temperature down quite quickly.  It is a simple, cheap, and environmentally friendly solution. But I find that people who are hot refuse to do it even when they will suggest that cold people use a heating pad. 

[itsheresomewhere]

22 minutes ago, lewelma said:

My indoor winter garb:

long johns, jeans, fleecy over trousers

a merino wool tank top, merino shirt, merino turtle neck, polar fleece, and down puffer vest

socks and slippers

Why heat when you can just dress warmly? 

However, I would argue with those of you who just want to spend the energy to cool a house down if you are hot. Frozen peas on the neck do wonders. I've had to do this after I see the chiropractor, and it will drop your body temperature down quite quickly.  It is a simple, cheap, and environmentally friendly solution. But I find that people who are hot refuse to do it even when they will suggest that cold people use a heating pad. 

Frozen peas does nothing for me. BTDT. Once I am hot, I am miserable. I don’t tolerate heat well.  The one thing that can work a bit is to put my feet in water.  But that can only go so far.  

[Starr]

The most difficult midwinter transition for me was visiting my favorite grandmas from church. We kept the temperature down in our old house and they kept there’s over 70 degrees . I had to remember to dress light under my outdoor clothing . 

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, Starr said:

The most difficult midwinter transition for me was visiting my favorite grandmas from church. We kept the temperature down in our old house and they kept there’s over 70 degrees . I had to remember to dress light under my outdoor clothing . 

My parents keep theirs at 76! It is unbearable.  I usually just walk by the thermostat and bump it down.

[lewelma]

2 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Frozen peas does nothing for me. BTDT. Once I am hot, I am miserable. I don’t tolerate heat well.  The one thing that can work a bit is to put my feet in water.  But that can only go so far.  

Yup, once I'm cold, I can't get warm. I can be in a 65 degree house wearing everything listed above and put on a hat and still be cold. So I hear you. I just know that my sister will tell me to put on more clothing or use a heating pad, and she will do nothing on her side. No frozen peas, no fan with a wet cloth, no ice water for her feet. It is all on me. 

[itsheresomewhere]

8 minutes ago, lewelma said:

Yup, once I'm cold, I can't get warm. I can be in a 65 degree house wearing everything listed above and put on a hat and still be cold. So I hear you. I just know that my sister will tell me to put on more clothing or use a heating pad, and she will do nothing on her side. No frozen peas, no fan with a wet cloth, no ice water for her feet. It is all on me. 

What some don’t understand is that the ice pack/frozen peas thing are a migraine trigger.  I am one of those.  Even for an injury, no ice pack or else I will be down for awhile.  I always have extra blankets if anyone wants one.  I have a cooling blanket for me and one for my side of the bed.  I do try to be considerate of the others in my house but I can only go so far. 

Edited March 12, 2023 by itsheresomewhere

[sassenach]

Dh wins because he has chronic nerve pain. Whatever temp he needs, that's where we set it. I like it cooler but he doesn't keep it that warm (67 in the day and 65 at night)