In praise of the cool house

Feeling righteous and now not unique at all.  This week’s NYTimes has an opinion piece and the fellow followed up on his blog with statistics supporting his argument that heating a large cavernous house is simply silly.  He makes all the right arguments, sometimes in excess, for a prudent use of energy.  Now that fuel is cheaper (but firewood is $250 plus per cord) the argument is still valid but ignored.

We, Zeke and I, live in a similarly cavernous house as the author, and the thermostats bottoms out at 45⁰ so we heat the room we are in, and when necessary keep the fireplace roaring and the house gets towards 60⁰ but mostly you layer up -- nothing cumbersome but reminiscent of ski vacations in mountain climates where ‘scantily clothed’ was not an option no matter how much you dreamed.  Living in a cool environment is not bad, and never a burden if you concentrate on moisture and not heat. You (and the dog) should avoid getting wet; and the dew point in the house cannot get too high; but this is not anywhere close to the “I have to have the house at 70⁰” mentality we hear to this day.

The argument that attracts my attention is related to health. I have personally avoided colds and flu for many ears and I particularly attribute this to living in a cool house.  I cannot find statistics, but some of the other benefits are enjoyable.  All houseflies perish, and your selection of cool hardy houseplants thrive (keep them away from cold spots). Room temperature beer or wine is really at the proper temperature. Most of all the energy bills are dramatically lower by volume and cost. It makes sense.

A bonus comes if you choose to get a workout at the YMCA, which always feels like a giant smelly sauna without going into the sauna. At the ‘Y’ you sweat when you are supposed to, and if you cool down before going out into the cold it seems to enhance the experience. Likewise a giant fire in the fireplace becomes a double treat -- with the atmosphere equal to the warmth. Only trouble involves getting close to the fireplace because I have to step over the dog.