Friday, November 16, 2012

Getting with the Program

I've had my new heater all checked out, so I'm ready for cold weather. I also finally programmed my programmable thermostat. My life doesn't really fit the programmable options, so with the AC it was easier just to set it manually, but I figured out how to make it work for me with the heater. The thermostat I have only allows you to set programs for weekdays and the weekend, which I think proves that whoever designed this probably doesn't go to church or have kids with weekend activities because whose Saturday and Sunday schedules are exactly the same? I imagine I'll be using the manual override frequently and occasionally reprogramming when I have a schedule change (It would be lovely if they let you save an override schedule for that one day that's going to go differently, rather than having to reprogram the entire weekend or weekday schedule and then put it back the way it was).

So, here's the at-home freelancer's programmable thermostat schedule:
Sleep -- overnight, low enough that the heat probably won't come on but high enough that the pipes won't freeze if it gets really cold. That means quiet and being able to snuggle under blankets, which is my favorite way to sleep.
Wake -- let the house start warming up around the time I usually wake up, so I can make/eat breakfast and get dressed in a warmer environment. Also, getting warm will force me out from under the covers. The cold house makes it harder to get out of bed.
Leave -- This is supposed to be the setting for when you're away at work all day. For me, it's a good setting for when I'm upstairs under a skylight, next to a portable radiator or wrapped up in a blanket while reading, writing or watching TV. If I'm staying mostly in one place and not moving around much, why heat the whole house?
Return -- I set this slightly warmer at around the time of night when I'm taking a shower and getting ready for bed. It's also around the time when I'm getting home from dance or choir.

I haven't really figured out the weekend settings, other than sleep and wake, since my weekend schedules are so different on Saturday vs. Sunday and vary each week.

And now I'm off to see Skyfall and maybe do some neighborhood exploring before trying to get a little work done in the late afternoon so I can enjoy my night of TV. Tonight's episodes of both Grimm and Haven look particularly intriguing.

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