More Confessions from a PrairieMod Squad Member

During hot summers when I was a kid, I used to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to set the thermostat to a cool 68 degrees. Each morning I'd awake to the furious tone of my mother, shivering and upset at what I had done the night before. After many good scoldings and lectures, my parents settled on a punishment. I'd have to fork over a portion of my allowance to pay for the increased energy bill that month. At that moment I vowed that when I owned my own place as an adult, I'd keep it a constant 68 degrees! Hey, it's my right as an American.

Well I've done just that, but I'm beginning to feel convicted lately. With all the news of depleting natural resources and a possible economic crisis looming on the horizon, I've been challenged to reconsider my own personal impact on energy consumption. Read number ten on this list here.

Frank Lloyd Wright might have just poked me in the ribs with his cane if he was still around today to see my wasteful use of energy. While a pioneer of "air conditioning", he reportedly detested my preferred and overzealous practice of cooling. Instead, Wright used architectural skills and natural features to keep a structure cool during summer months.

So, I've resolved to set the thermostat at 74. Wow! Easier said than done. I honestly feel like a junkie going through withdrawal. There have been sleepless, restless nights...tossing and turning. I kid you not! I awoke at 3am this morning in disbelief at how much of a drastic change 6 degrees actually can be for a self-indulgent, over-pampered individual like myself.

But, I will press on and adjust to the still cool temperature of 74 degrees. I mean really...74 is cool...right? Maybe someday I'll have the strength and courage to make the move to 77 degrees. Whew!

One possible alternative to checkout is here.

See an earlier confession here.

Comments

[David Parsons]

You might be surprised how quickly your body can get used to warm weather. After the first round of 100+F plus weather this year in Portland, anything under 80F seems cool. It might be worth experimenting by setting the thermostat at 80F, but letting the fan run constantly once it gets above 70F so you'll get the airflow that can fool your body into thinking it's cooler than it actually is.

(It's been a long time since I've lived in a house with air conditioning, and I grew up in Wisconsin and spent about 8 years living in and around Chicago. I was _much_ more happy about scorching summer weather when I lived out there than I was when previously-temperate Portland started to suffer the effects of global warming.)

[Kim]

I know how you feel - sort of. I grew up in a little place called Calexico, CA. My mom kept the house at a "cool" 82 degrees in the summer. Needless to say, these times were hot and your 74 degrees seems like no problem. However, now that I live in Los Angeles, if it gets slightly warmer after a colder day of 65/70 my body goes into some kind of shock and I need that cool temperature back. I couldn't handle going over to my boyfriend's house during the summer because he had no air conditioning. Maybe swamp coolers could be the next big thing.