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| Our Pre-Heat Uniform...we wore gloves to do homework! |
Dear Familia,
It's Winter! Ok, technically I think it's still Fall, but the Northeast got hit with a big snowstorm this weekend that definitely screams Winter more than Fall. Anyway, early this week it started getting pretty cold and seemed like time to think about turning on the heat in our house...see poor Amanda in my opening photo. I did a lot of research because we have a gas heater and I definitely don't want to be wasting energy. I did a few things to get ready and luckily our landlord is pretty amazing and he came up and did a few things around the house to get the house ready as well.
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| MYSA RONN, Warmth Rate 4 |
Way back in August, I hit up Ikea to get a legit down comforter. Definitely the best purchase I made because it is super warm and I stay comfortable all night long. I went back and forth between the warmth rate of 4 and 6, and I ended up getting the 4. It was a good choice because I can add lighter blankets to heat it up on super cold nights or take them off if it's too warm.
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| Before |
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| After |
I checked out our gas company's energy saving tips to see what we could do to keep our energy usage (and costs) down. We tried to follow as many of these tips as possible. Our landlord, Tom, came up on Thursday night and tightened windows and checked doors for air leaks. He was also great enough to install a programmable thermostat that be great for those days when we forget to turn the heat down when we leave. Right now our plan is to keep it at around 65 when we are home and then really low around 50 when we are not home. Normally, it's not a good idea to let your air get too low while you are away because it takes a lot of energy to get the temperature back to a livable level. However, Tom installed an energy efficient forced air heating system a couple of years ago so it literally only took 15 minutes to get it comfortable in the house after he came up and we switched it on. Obviously, it was not a moment too soon because it actually started snowing when he came over.
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| My window about 30 minutes after the snow started falling |
That night was actually the start of what is being called "Snowtober." Although it's not unusual for temperatures to dip, the big snowstorm was definitely a surprise for this time of year. We only got about 2 inches here in Boston, but some spots in New York received 2 feet! Craziness. It was really weird because it was a rain storm (with thunder and lightning and everything) and a snow storm. Yesterday when I got onto the train I was using my umbrella and when I got off the train less than 10 minutes later it was seriously snowing. I am going to have to get my snow jacket and gloves very soon!
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| Backyard this AM |
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| Backyard Pt. 2 |
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| Looking out the Front Window |
Right now it's sunny and beautiful outside but still very cold. The snow is not melting very much at all. I thought about going out to make a snowman this morning , but then I decided to stay in my warm bed. Haha. Now it's back to homework.
Love,
Jem
