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Entry bubble Keeping Your Cool on the Cheap

By: Nancy | July 17, 2008 | Category: Money

Go into a supermarket or office this time of year and you either freeze or swelter. There never seems to be a happy medium!

In a Cornell University study, office workers tended to be more productive at warmer temperatures than cooler. But when you're too warm, it's sure hard to function too. I hunted around on USA.gov, curious about whether the government had recommendations on specific workplace temperatures. But the US Department of Labor's Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no specific temperature guidelines. Office temperatures are left up to individuals.

Well boy, do we individuals have individual takes on what's comfortable. In some offices, a person at one desk is breaking out the box fan while their coworker in the next cubicle is sporting a parka. In my office here at Gov Gab headquarters, somebody always seems to be a little too hot or a little too cold. But we play nicely and it's been years since anybody's been tempted to run both the air conditioner and a space heater simultaneously. We've learned to rely on strategic placement of an oscillating fan near our window air conditioner and we dress in layers.

red fan

At home, when you're the one paying the energy bill, knowing you can save three to eight percent a month for every degree warmer you set your thermostat is a real incentive for cooling creatively. Consider planting shade trees, painting your house a lighter color inside and out, using an attic fan and trading out those traditional, heat-creating light bulbs for energy saving and cooler-to-the-touch fluorescents. And if you can afford it, consider replacing any central or room air conditioner over 10 years old with a newer, energy-efficient model.

At work or home, covering large windows—especially those facing the south or west—with shades, awnings or reflective film can cut down tremendously on the temperature. And I know it sounds obvious, but even if you have a/c, electric fans can make a big difference. When I'm going to be in a room for awhile at home, I turn the air conditioner about as warm as I can stand it and put an oscillating fan in front of the a/c vent in that room to give the cooled air an extra boost. Oh, and I love my programmable thermostat. No more forgetting to adjust the temperature before I leave for work or returning to a house that's too hot or too cool. Seven days a week, it's set for my schedule.

What's it like where you live and work—how do you keep peace and save on the energy bill?

| View Comments [8] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: a/c   energy   nancy   saving  

Comments (8):

blue comment bubble Posted by Jed on July 17, 2008 at 09:49 AM EDT

I'm lucky enough to live in Pacific Beach in San Diego, where no one needs central air conditioning or heating. We need to pull out a fan for about 2 weeks every August and we fire up a space heater a few times through the winter.

I'm wondering though—supposing I had a 10 yr old air conditioner, what's the best way to dispose of it? Can they be recycled?

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blue comment bubble Posted by Citizen Jmaximus on July 17, 2008 at 10:28 AM EDT

Not soon enough to be departed poor old president McBush's energy saving plan for poor/middle-class people, just turn down their a/c or drive less and stop whining. Just thought I would throw that in there.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Nancy on July 17, 2008 at 11:45 AM EDT

Why have I never been to San Diego? Oh I know--if I visited there, I would never come home to steamy DC. :)

Jed, I searched

appliance recycle "san diego"

on www.USA.gov and found that there is a center that you can take your a/c to for recycling (there's a $25 fee)

http://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/miramarrecycle.shtml


There are also commercial junk hauling companies that will take your a/c to the recycling center for you.

Happy recycling!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Cindy Sue Causey on July 17, 2008 at 04:17 PM EDT

With a (very) limited income, the decision makes for itself.. :)

Your post is wonderfully timed.. Have a question back to you:

Did you come across anything that legally stated temperatures for persons in, say, like long term care facilities (nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, institutions, and the like)..?

Really could have used this information recently.. Cool to see you all thinking in (close enough to be called) a similar vein..

Peace and best wishes from North Georgia.. :)

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blue comment bubble Posted by Nancy on July 17, 2008 at 05:26 PM EDT

Hello there in North Georgia!

That's a great question about nursing home temperatures. I sleuthed around USA.gov and found this report comparing temperature regulations--it seems it might be determined by individual states.
http://www.ltcombudsman.org/static_pages/ombudsmen.cfm

They also have this page listing nursing home ombudsmen by state. Georgia's ombudsman should be able to give you their regulations.
http://www.ltcombudsman.org/static_pages/ombudsmen.cfm

Thanks for reading and for commenting!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Chillin N CHino on July 18, 2008 at 06:21 AM EDT

This is my first time as a blogger, so I am a little new to all of this. I used the screen name "Chillin n Chino " as an amusing imitation because out here in Chino it is definitely not COLD. You have to do what you can to stay comfortable. I'm 19 years old and as I was searching the net for an interesting topic to write about for my English class, I came across blog usa.gov. The first thing I saw was a blog from Nancy that talked about how to stay cool on the cheap. We had central heat and air but it wasn't working, and my dad wouldn't fix it. So this was certainly a way to save money. We have had air again for about four years -- things have certainly changed around here. The electric bill for one -- $300 a month would be a typical standard rate especially for the months of July, August and September. Another thing that is common around my house these days are the constant talk about conserving energy and the high cost of using the central air. My dad works for the gas company so his suggestion is to turn the air on at 78 degrees and leave it there all day. The problem is in my house -- my Dad is cold natured, so running the central air is not important to him. My mom is hot natured -- so she must have the air. She was miserable the years my Dad wouldn’t fix the central air. Me, on the other hand -- I became interested in ways to conserve when paying such high cost of electricity began to interfere with having money in reserve to spend on things at the mall. As a 19 year old young adult, I now am interested in ways to save and conserve on energy. The new "happening" is to go "green." I think going "green" would help tremendously especially if everyone would join in the campaign to do so. If we would "go green" then we would run the electricity off an independent generator -- we could conserve energy -- collect it -- sell it back to the electric company -- and make money from them. Which results in -- back to the mall for me.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Trouble maker? on July 20, 2008 at 10:34 AM EDT

In an office where I worked before retiring, one gal decided she would be the keeper of the AC. She always wore suits, so was always warm, and consequently had the AC turned to cold. The other 3 workers therefore were always freezing, and wore sweaters. One day at our weekly meeting we three asked if the AC could be set at a warmer setting, I suggested setting it at body temperature and everyone could dress according to what made them comfortable. Everyone agreed, until someone caught on and said "Hey, body temperature is 98.6!! Nice Try" Thought I could get away with it. LOL

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blue comment bubble Posted by Marshall on July 22, 2008 at 11:15 AM EDT

Ways to keep cool can generate some pretty hot arguments. In my family the ongoing "discussion" was over how to keep an unairconditioned house in North Carolina cool in the midst of summer. My grandfather held that you closed the house up completely about 9 AM to keep in the cool night air in until evening, when you opened everything up. He would shut windows and doors, close the blinds, etc. My great aunt, on the other hand, believed that circulating air, even if it felt like a hairdryer, was better for you and cooled you off more. They would each stalk through the house, closing and opening windows, turning fans on and off, you get the picture. My grandmother just made cold lemonade for everybody and tried to stay out of the way!

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