It’s sad, but it’s true – not all of those who share a home have similar room temperatures. Worse yet, oftentimes, a minor disagreement with a roommate or family member over heat can turn into serious, full-fledged arguments. There are ways to deal with heating disputes, however, so instead of living in constant conflict, read on and check out these heating tips on how to find solutions which will leave everyone happy when heating your home.
Avoid Stress In Your Relationship
Conflict over temperature indoors tends to pop up along gender lines – women tend to have a slower metabolic rate than men, making them feel more cold (according to a recent study, frigid air conditioned offices are designed to accommodate preferences of men, leaving a company’s female employees shivering in the middle of the summer). Noone wants to deal with domestic stress due to an argument over air conditioning or heating systems, so try out the strategies below in order to find a middle ground where your home’s inhabitants can enjoy a temperature that’ll make them comfortable.
Space Heaters
Nowadays, space heaters are relatively safe and efficient, if you make sure to follow the instructions from the manufacturer. They are a quite easy, simple solution to allow a family member to set a temperature in their room that’s different from the one at the may thermostat.
Zone Heating
In many modern homes, it is not necessary to utilize space heaters in order to set a different temperature to each room. Through the use of smart vents and smart thermostats, it’s easy to customize the home and heat each room according to the preferences of those who inhabit them.
Improve Efficiency
If money is an important part of arguments over your furnace, you may want to make a few efficiency upgrades which will lower your utility bills. Beefing up your insulation or performing maintenance on your HVAC unit, or even strategically closing and opening curtains in order to take advantage of the sun’s heat can help. When you begin seeing savings, it will be much easier to allow a family member to increase the thermostat a bit.
Compromise
Oftentimes, you do not have the option to satisfy everyone with a room’s temperature. In a bedroom that’s shared by two spouses who are not thermally compatible, for instance. In this case, use your difference to improve communications skills and compromise for something that works for both. If Tom would rather have the room at 60 while Sally prefers it at 70, you could simply set it to 65 and get an extra blanket for Sally’s side of the bed.
