Thank you to one of our listeners, Susan Coles, for sending the above photo. Last night the temperature dropped to below zero. Which officially kicked off the season I like to call 'battle of the thermostat'. This is a battle that takes place in almost every household when three things merge together: a man, a woman, and cold weather. My husband likes to keep the thermostat at about 18 degrees. Thats quite comfortable for him. At 18 degrees, I am wearing six sweaters and three pairs of socks. And so, the battle begins.
Rob installed one of those 'smart' thermostats a few winters ago. He thought this would solve all of our problems. While we are both out of the house, the thermostat is set for 18 degrees. He then programs the thing to raise the temperature of the house just before I get home from work. Problem is, I get home at all different times of the day. On a day when the thermostat expects me home at 1:30, I may surprise it and arrive at 11. The thermostat doesn't care that I'm home. Its not giving me heat for another 2 1/2 hours. Sure, the obvious answer is to simply press the right buttons and over-ride the thermostat to have it kick in whenever I want. But it never works when I do that. My thermostat only takes orders from my husband.
This topic was brought up on 'The Morning After' and it definitely touched a nerve.
Many women called to offer sympathies and advice, as they too are now officially into the 2008/2009 'battle of the thermostat' season.
Here were some comments offered this morning:
- to have the heat kick in and turn up a notch, simply place a bag of frozen peas (or any other frozen vegetable) directly on top of the baseboard heater
- purchase a 'thermostat' cage, lock it, and hide the key. This gives you 100 percent power over the thermostat. Could be a scary option though. What if your husband thinks of this first?
- check to see if the main thermostat in your living room is fake. It may be a placebo. You can turn it up to 28 degrees, and it will indicate as such, but it is actually a device that looks like the real thing but in fact is not hooked up to anything at all. Lift it carefully. If its just hanging by a small nail , there are no wires or batteries, you've got yourself a placebo thermostat. Your husband may have a few of these scattered throughout the house. It is up to you to find the main control centre which houses the real thermostat.
- further to the above note, many husbands will gladly offer to turn up the heat if you're cold. They will saunter across the floor and be sure that you see them turning up the thermostat. Again, this may be a sign that the thermostat is fake.
- Maybe you DON'T have a fake thermostat. You have now confirmed that it is REAL. Watch out for this: your husband gladly offers to turn up the thermostat, walks over to it, turns his back and 'pretends' to do the deed. He goes through the motions, taking care not to actually touch the device. This is fairly common.
- when all else fails, start wearing giant sweaters, socks, mittens and a big hoser hat to bed.
If that doesn't work, at least you'll be warm!
