...and it's not because of the heater!
Because I feel like being passive aggressive and airing our dirty laundry for the world wide web to see, I'm posting an email chain. Better Judgement tells me I ought not to, but Better Judgement also tells me I shouldn't smack the girl. So if Better Judgement is making me chose, I'll refrain from smacking her.
And really, you all are going to get bored w/ this, but I need an outlet to vent. I'll probably take this down in a day or two anyways...Better Judgement will probably get the best of me.
Email #1 (her typing errors went untouched and aside from mine, names are not included)
Hi ladies,
Per a discussion Chelsea and I had last night about the heater, I just to check in about what all of you thought:
Chelsea has expressed quite strongly that she does not want to run the heater any more. I think it's a good idea to focus on conserving energy (for cost as well as environmental reasons!); however, I do not think it's reasonable to not run the heater when it is in the mid-40s outside (check out the weather online: highs in the low 60s, lows in the low-40s). When we're not home, I think we should leave the heater off, and in the evenings, I think it's fine to turn it down.
But until it becomes nicer outside, I think it's perfectly reasonable to set the thermostat at an appropriate level (previously we had settled on 70; we can talk about whether it makes sense to change this). I do not think it is reasonable to demand that I huddle under a down blanket, with an extra sweatshirt, especially when I pay nearly $900 a month.
True, running the heater does increase our utilities some. Of course, so does running the air conditioner in the summer. (And to be honest, I usually find our house far too cold in the summer...so I pay a premium during those months to live with you all who like the house colder). Finally, I can run the numbers, but I will assure you that running the heater adds only marginally to our monthly utility cost- $20 per month per person at most. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but I would venture that each one of us easily spends that on a single dinner or two out in a given month.
-5th Roommate
Email #2
Obviously we know where I stand on this.
The temperature outside is warming up, and the house no longer seems (at least to me) to be cold. Perhaps there are evenings when there is a little chill in the air, but that warrants a sweater, not the heater - at least, that's how we did it when I grew up.
The lows are listed to represent when the temperature is at its lowest, generally in the middle of the night. I've never woken up cold, not even during the winter months. If anyone is still cold during the night, I'd suggest an extra blanket. I've already put away my flannel sheets and folded up my extra quilt so if anyone is cold and needs an extra quilt, I've got one.
I don't think that when you came upstairs the other night that 2nd Roommate and I were implying that you should "huddle under a down blanket." That suggestion was meant for when you're sleeping if you're still cold. The sweater suggestion is legitimate. I find the amount you pay in rent to be irrelevant to this argument unless you're implying that since you pay more your say should count as more...???
I don't want to seem difficult and come off as stubborn and unrelenting. I am willing to compromise and I feel like I'm pretty go-with-the-flow in most regards, but if it's just one person who is feeling the chill, I don't find it necessary to run the heat in the entire house. Turn a space heater on, or use one of the throws if you're in the living room, etc. Perhaps I'm blessed w/ more body fat and don't get as cold as others, but that's where I stand. If others are still cold and insist upon running the heat, then I suppose I'll start wearing shorts around the house so we can run the heater... But it's upper 50's to low 60's out. That's pretty darn good weather.
And since you brought up the air conditioner, I can withstand the heat and don't need it icebox cold in the house. I'm w/ you on that one.
Chelsea
Email #3
5th Roommate,
I don't want you to think we are bullying up on you but I would have to agree with Chelsea on the heater. The heater was off all last week and the house was fine. I think I was cold maybe one of the evenings but I just put an extra sweatshirt and wool socks on and I was fine. Maybe you could just try for a while putting an extra layer or putting a throw blanket over your lap. If you are still unreasonably cold then we could reaccess the situation with the heater. I would like to cut back on costs and conserve on energy as much as possible. Even if it is only a difference in $20 a month I could use that money toward buying groceries. Honestly I find it pretty rediculous to be paying close to $800 to share a bedroom. The cost of utilities are out of control.
I also have fleese sheets that I dont use as well as an extra down blanket it you would like to borrow them.
2nd Roommate
Email #4
I will get back to you on this, once I'm home and can run the numbers as to exactly how much extra we're paying in utilities because of the gas. I will affirm my point however: that we ALL agreed that 70 was a reasonable place to set the thermostat. I think that's a reasonable point to operate on until we ALL decide that it should be changed.
Sorry.
As far as an extra fleece and sweater- when you talked to me, Chelsea, I WAS wearing a sweater...I feel like it's unreasonable to bundle up to all levels in the house. I have been cold all winter, even running my space heater.
I'm not saying that because I pay $900 a month my 'say' should count more. What I'm saying is that I think we are ALL paying in to have a house and experience that we can live with. I don't think it's fair because a few of you have decided that you like the house colder that you make me change something that we had already agreed upon. I think it's particularly egregious because you simply used the time I was out of town to implement it, and then inform me when I return that I had better live with it.
2nd Roommate, as far as spending an extra $20 on groceries....I recognize that finances are tight for all of us right now. But I have always believed these things are about budgeting. We all are spending money, every month: whether that be on eating out, more expensive groceries, money to put toward summer trips, clothes, or etc. I can venture to say that $20 per month is a drop in the budget bucket for anyone making more than $20,000 per year.
Part of living in a house means sharing utility expenses. I wasn't here last week, so I didn't use any of the utilities. Does that mean that I should only pay 3/4 of the utility bill next month? No, of course not, because being part of a house means sharing the expense of shared usage...some of us are here more during the day, some of use more or less lights, water, heating, etc. I would hope that in the end of the day it all evens out, or at the very minimum is no longer an issue for us.
(On the note of electricity: If we want to conserve energy, I suggest we turn out the lights we're not using I am constantly (and by constantly, I mean at least 5-7 times every day), turning out unneeded hall lights to the upstairs, from the downstairs entryway, etc.)
Finally, I would say that I would have been willing to work with you on this. But the way the change was implemented ('take it or leave it") was inconsiderate, compels me to stick by my position until we ALL agree on a better compromise.
Sorry.
(That was from 5th Roommate)
End email chain
(I haven't drafted my response yet. Better Judgement tells me to sleep on it. And I've got bible study tonight so maybe I could pray to God to warm her internal temperature...and maybe her heart too...)
Back me up on this Mom! It's upper 50's to lower 60's during the day and dips to the 40's at night. Is that cold??? I mean really? Does that warrant the heater being ran at 70 degrees? Am I being unreasonable? And Mom, what do you have on the couch in case we get cold? It's a blanket, am I right? What do you set your thermostat at? And don't you turn it way down or totally off at night when we're all sleeping under our covers? If you were in my position, wouldn't you have it off by now? It's April! Spring sprung two weeks ago. The temperature of the house right now at 5:00pm on a cloudy day is 68 degrees. Isn't that comfortable? Mom, one last question, what was the temperature outside when you stopped running the heater? Yeah different climates and locations and all, but it's all relative.
If 5th Roommate thinks she's cold here, I'd like to see if she could survive a Flagstaff winter at Charlotte's house. Thermostat was set at 50 during the night and never went above 68. And we're talking real winters with snow and everything.
Now that that's off my chest, I'm going to have a chat w/ Better Judgement.
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5 comments:
That seroiusly made me feel so much better...sigh... :)
Chelsea,
I find this debacle between your party and the minority rather amusing. Now, it must first be stated that, no, I am not your mother, no, I do not reside in a climate such as Flagstaff, Arizona's, and, finally, no, I am not a solicited arbitrator between the two factions of this disagreement, but I have a little advice to offer, nevertheless.
From the chain of e-mails you kindly posted to better illustrate your position, I gather a few things about the situation.
First, it would appear that some of you are either not very amiable with each other, or else rarely see each other because of conflicting schedules since people living in the same house communicate by e-mail (Yes, I admit, technology has passed me by, as has a lot of the rest of the world, and I am only nineteen!).
Second, I quite understand your position on the matter. I do not think that your askance is unreasonable of the 5th roomate, especially if the majority sides with you, which I was unable to determine from this post, but I seem to recall that you said something to that effect in your preceding post. I quite agree that 70 degrees is rather extreme for forty degree weather at night, but I cannot say that the heater ought not to have been on at all. The combination of a space heater for the individual with a more convenient adjustment to the thermostat for all parties concerned and further supplemented by the generous offers of extra bedding and the solution of sweaters would provide relief from whatever cold your injured roomate might feel. As for her assertion that temperatures resided in the low forties, I must say little except that if she spoke of the weather forecast, as is entirely probable since she invited all of you to examine the temperatures, I must say that the interior of buildings, particularly residential ones, are often five to ten degrees warmer or cooler, depending upon the season of the year, than the actual temperature outside, and this fact, that I have found to be true at least 90% of the time in my tender years, discredits much of her argument concerning the relation of the temperature to her need for extra warmth.
As for the portions of the e-mails that deal with costs and wages, I must also refrain from saying too much since, frankly, it is none of my business to start with; however, I will say that it is none of Roomate Number 5's concern how any of you choose to spend YOUR money, for that is a matter of one's conscience, principles, and their priorities. To me, that sounds very much like what the government tries to do when they are justifying a tax increase: they tell US to budget better so that they may have more to contribute to a debt of over a trillion dollars! That sounds crazy to me (I told you she would probably be employed by the ACLU.).
Finally, you should listen to Better Judgment. You never know, this could come to an acceptable end for both sides.
By the way, the next time #5 turns up the thermostat, when she is not looking turn it down gradually, and see if she notices a change in the environment!
-Tyler.
I love it. I love to follow drama when I don't have to be part of it.
Before we had Alyssa our house was 64 during the night and 62 during the day in the winter. Now that we have her it is 65 at night and 67 during the day. I could not imagine 70 in the winter, that is short sleeve shirt and short weather. Is that what you wear in the house?
I would imagine 70 would be like being on the 7th floor of Riely in the winter. (Sam and I would have to wear shorts in the room and then change to go outside!)
Tyler, we are all rarely home at the same time b/c of very different schedules and there are some less than amiable moments between others hence the emails.
Shannon, if ever a thermostat control was needed, it was definitely 7th floor of Reilly. It got sooo hot up there! I don't think I ever put extra blankets on my bed that year. Or when I lived on the 5th floor of Gabaldon.
Kind of behind on this as it's all over...
But to insinuate that $20/month PER PERSON for more heat isn't a big deal? Insanity! $20 per month is about what I pay in utilities PERIOD! $100 per month for heat sounds absolutely outrageous to me, but perhaps my perception is skewed by living by myself. But even when I lived with RJ the lizard, our heat was never anywhere near half that in our biggest apartment, so I don't quite understand how it can get so excessive in spite of it being a larger place. I think the solution is she moves to Phoenix if she wants that kind of heat year round...
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