House feels too cold, but you can’t justify turning on the thermostat? Before you reach for some warm socks and a sweater, try out this idea first!

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The Issue:

Sometimes, it feels cold in a house, but when you go to check the thermostat, you see that it’s already something like 72° F (22° C). That’s already plenty warm, so you’d feel guilty about turning on the heat!

As a result, you must shamefully put on a sweater instead. But what if you COULD have turned on the heat without feeling bad about it?

Proposal:

The solution is simple: a thermostat that just displays a lower temperature than the actual interior temperature (Figure 1). 

Fig. 1: Even though the house is actually 71 degrees, this thermostat says it “Feels Like” 58 degrees. Clearly that’s cold enough to warrant turning on the heater!

This is conceptually similar to the notion of “wind chill,” but without any particular scientific basis.

PROS: May jump-start the sales of new thermostats, thus boosting the economy. Reduces guilt from running the heater even when it’s already an “acceptable” temperature.

CONS: Could reduce sales of sweaters, ruining the nation’s sweater industry.

Originally published 2024-11-04.