17 ms·
Staying warm. In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the
by mtlynch 4y ago
Staying warm.
In the winter, I used to stay warm by turning up the thermostat. Then I discovered (via HN) the Low-Tech Magazine article, "Insulation: first the body, then the home." [0] The article argued that it's much more efficient to focus on heating yourself rather than your whole living space.
I invested in high-quality wool clothes that I wear in layers and warm slippers. Now, I keep my home about 5 degrees F cooler than I used to for the same comfort, and it's a big reduction in oil and wood consumption for home heat.
[0] https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/02/body-insulation-thermal-underwear.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/02/body-insulation-ther...
- balaji1 4y agoausterity
- mabbo 4y agoI don't like wearing big layers of clothing. I like being in a very light t-shirt. I'm happy to pay the extra cost to heat the room I'm in with a space heater in the winter time.
- coldpie 4y agoI'm not trying to change your mind, just offer my perspective. I felt the same way. But after a couple of months of just putting up with it, I found I got used to it, and it saves some money & spends less fuel. Now I wear sweaters around the house all the time and it doesn't bother me anymore.
- bumby 4y agoYou're right and I've done the same. But changing human behavior is enormously difficult, especially when it relies strictly on individual decisions. Just look at how many people rationally know what to do to get healthier, yet are unable to do so. We need to stop pretending humans are computers that just need better information to make better decisions. We're emotional beings even more than we are rational ones.
- armchairhacker 4y agome too, also sometimes i can’t seem to heat up in layers. So I drink hot tea instead
- beerandt 4y agoI'm the same way, but wool really is an awesome fabric for clothes wrt to temp regulation. My favorite t-shirt is now a lightweight filson 100% wool shirt that is just as comfortable by itself at 80 deg as it is under a button up shirt at 30 deg. And doesn't get cold when wet like cotton does. It really does fit the "life changing" topic if you've never tried it.
- ornornor 4y agoIt’s so itchy though.
- seadan83 4y agoPre-Merino, wool was quite itchy. I wonder if you are thinking of "old" wool. Modern merino is some very soft stuff. > Merino wool is able to ditch the itch thanks to its fiber's smaller diameter, or being “finer”. These fibers are more flexible and softly bend when pressed against the skin and, therefore, don't itch like other wool. https://www.smartwool.com/discover/why-merino-wool/merino-wool-101.html https://www.smartwool.com/discover/why-merino-wool/merino-wo...
- ornornor 4y agoCould be. Wool is too cruel for my taste anyway so I abstain from it.
- seadan83 4y agoNo could be about it. Merino wool is not itchy. There are other wools like possum wool with similar properties that are less ambiguous in terms of ethics. Merino can be ethically sourced. If usage of animal products is a concern, that seems hardly relevent to a question of the feel of the material. I applaud the concern, just find the "could be" to be glib and/or ignorant
- rtikulit 4y ago
- dfxm12 4y agoit's a big reduction in oil and wood consumption for home heat I'm happy to pay the extra cost As an aside, we've got the externalities of climate change all wrong. Oil is a non renewable resource. We can't just give the planet a bunch of money and have it produce more oil for us to burn when we're uncomfortable. This cost is not really borne by you; it'll be borne by future generations.
- melenaboija 4y agoI would assume the poster already knows it. Is a matter of wanting something and do it because I can. It goes against common sense but is human nature.
- notyourwork 4y agoWhich is precisely why government intervention is required to address this problem. Individuals will make decisions that are short sighted, self-centered and potentially not in the best interest of the planet. I don't fault them for it, I'm guilty of it in some situations.
- bumby 4y agoIt's a hard balancing effort. On one hand, humans can't be counted on to be rational actors, especially in terms of long-term benefit. On the other hand, the system is so complex it may not be able to be managed well at the large government level.
- 988747 4y agoNo, it actually makes sense: burn all the oil now, to keep yourself warm in winter, and the future generations will be kept warm by the fact that climate change raises temperatures, so there are no winters anymore :-D
- mrshadowgoose 4y agoA large part of the population is like this. Whining at and shaming them is not going to get the result you want. If you care about climate change, you should be advocating for completely green electricity generation, and carbon-neutral synthetic fuels. That would completely solve the fundamental problem. Our society is fundamentally based on energy, and people like to use energy towards things that give them comfort. Taking away comfort is going to be a "nope" for most people.
- eadmund 4y agoI like going outside. I must go outside to walk my dog, get my mail and go to church — all of which are outside. I like shopping for groceries and eating out, which means that I must move from my car to the building. Given that I am going to be outdoors, it sure as heck makes sense to dress for the season and the weather. Plus, y’know, winter clothes are the best clothes. Tweeds, woolens, gloves, coats, scarves, hats: all these are great! I was amazed to find out that even in this air conditioned age we spend far more heating buildings than air conditioning them (four times as much, according to the first Google hit I just found). That means that it makes a lot more sense to dress warmly in the winter than lightly in the summer.
- gambiting 4y agoYeah so I was like that, until the energy prices absolutely exploded here in UK. I realized that if we go like this we'll pay £600/month just in energy costs, and that's as much as our mortgage payment - and frankly that's insane. I turned our thermostat down, grumbled and put on a jumper and wooly trousers - that alone literally halved our bill to £300/month - still insane(considering last year we were paying £100/month even in winter with heating being on pretty much all the time), but managable.
- h2odragon 4y agoI sweat a lot (medical problems), and have no body fat; so keeping warm is a real challenge. I can't wear much clothing. "radiant IR" (red glowing elements) type heaters are wonderful tools for heating the body instead of the air.
- mrguyorama 4y agoYou can still do this efficiently, for example my house thermostat is set to 65ish and I use a tiny space heater at half power (700ish watts) to have a small but nice warm corner without breaking the bank, probably.
- phyzome 4y agoI like eating chocolate and sleeping all day, but I also have responsibilities. One of my responsibilities is to not be wasteful. So I put on a sweater. (But if you've got some kind of super-insulated house, then never mind.)
- triceratops 4y agoThat's still better than keeping the whole house at 75F all winter.
- therealdrag0 4y agoFor me the game changer was flannel. I never knew it was different than plaid until this year. Turns out it’s sufficiently warm and way more comfortable than heavier layers like hoodies because of how light it is.
- RobertRoberts 4y agoAdd moisture to the air also as it conducts heat better and the same temperature will "feel" warmer. (especially important in some climates more than others)
- number6 4y agoIs this the reason for infusions in sauna?
- chupasaurus 4y agoSauna temperatures are higher than human body's.
- mtlynch 4y agoI didn't know that. Good tip!
- RobertRoberts 4y agoBased on the comments above, I think I should have specified that this works well for very cold places that get very dry air in the winter.
- hkpack 4y agoThis is probably a bad advice - As it simultaneously makes cold air feel colder. Also, I'm not sure if there is an easy way to actually increase humidity without reducing the temperature. From my experience, increasing humidity while keeping the overall temperature at the same time requires additional energy. Also, less humid air may allow you to actually wear less cloths as it is more difficult for the air to get energy off your body.
- RobertRoberts 4y agoI think is true for places that have moist air already. But for colder climates a house with central heating the air often gets drier (even outside) than the worst deserts on earth. So, in that environment adding moisture makes the air warmer. (with proper heating of course)
- b0sk 4y agoThe issue is it doesn't work for people who tend to sweat easily.
- Broken_Hippo 4y agoThat isn't true at all. You simply need layers and good enough deodorant. A bit of experience helps as well - you learn how warm to keep your base layer after some time. If you sweat in non-standard places (like under breasts), spray deodorant might be your friend. I personally deal with this because of hormones - I'm a female in my mid-40s, so I get to have hot flashes and night sweats during part of my cycle right now.
- q845712 4y agoI'm one of the sweatiest people I've ever met. I've slowly gotten better at layering and how to use clothes for different situations, but I agree it's a big factor and there's some unwinnable combinations. For instance, I've finally learned to embrace "long-john" style long underwear under my pants, but it's only possible because I'm working from home. They are amazing layers for warmth, but unlike additional shirts, hoodies, jackets, scarves, hats, long underwear can't be casually removed. You have to take off your shoes and your pants! So if (when) I was going into an office, I always made the choice to have cold legs during the commute but comfortable legs all day. Now I can wear them in the morning, take them off if the day warms up, and put them back on whenever the temp. drops again. But overall I'll echo a few comments in here that some of the more expensive gear, even as base layers, really is better technology. And getting to know my body and my situational habits, it's been possible to figure out layering clothing that worked for me, but only because I was working in tech and felt like I had enough money to get it wrong a couple times... If I were still living on a student or even "average" budget, I would've been much shyer about trying some new $30 shirt just to see if it agreed with me.
- dirtyid 4y agoWhat's your long johns situation? I haven't found anything that bridges the winter gap where I'm comfy outside and not boiling/sweating inside.
- prometheus76 4y agoAnother thing that can really help with this is a hot water bottle. You can put it on your lap, or under your feet and it really helps you keep warm if you are sitting for long periods of time. Helps if you put a small blanket over your lap as well. Usually lasts for a couple of hours before you need to refresh the water in the bottle.
- hgsgm 4y agoFor the HN crowd: point your computer exhaust fan at your fingers or feet.
- askiiart 4y agoEspecially if you've got a bulldozer!
- Cthulhu_ 4y agoUnfortunately the M1 runs a lot cooler than older models :(. Old Intel models would almost burn your fingers!
- lovehashbrowns 4y agoI was playing cyberpunk this winter with a 4090 at 4k RT on and all settings maxed. My desktop took the living room from around 50F to over 72F. My A/C turned on! It was genuinely insane
- coolspot 4y agoThat rig probably can generate around 1kW of heat, just like average space heater. You have a very small living room if that alone can heat it up from 50F to 72F.
- mixmastamyk 4y agoHow to? Usually sent out the back.
- InCityDreams 4y ago
- com2kid 4y agoThis completely fails for me. I will end up with freezing cold hands and a warm body. Put me in a 65f room and after an hour of being idle my hands will start to go numb from the cold.
- nexus2045 4y agoGot a small heater (size of a small PC speaker) for 20 bucks on Amazon, most effective purchase I’ve made in recent memory, super effective for cold fingers and doesn’t even need to be on all the time
- spoiler 4y agoWhich one did you get? I tried getting one at work a few years ago and all it did was feel like a dragon's breath on my face, and my hands got a bit of warmth
- hgsgm 4y agowolf gloves / thumbhole shirts, and of you are idle you can tuck hands under a blanket or chest pockets.
- pc86 4y agoWearing gloves and holding your hands inside your pockets while reading so you can save $10/month on your electricity bill seems pretty miserable.
- danjoredd 4y agoThat reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes comic. Coincidentally, this was also how I was raised: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/12/30/ https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/12/30/
- iamwpj 4y agoI live in the midwest and cold is normal for a chunk of the year, but one thing always worse than cold: wind. After college at some point I splurged on a North Face jacket with the wind protection bit and it was eye popping how much more tolerable being outside became. I always go for a nicer coat/jacket now -- the value brands at the department stores don't always have the right technology. Good outdoor gear is spendy, but lasts a very long time and is very effective.
- theGnuMe 4y agoI have a hard mountain down jacket from 25 years ago with wind protection that I wear when it is below freezing. Still works amazing.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- agotterer 4y agoI live in New York and didn’t own a proper winter jacket until I was in my 30s. I always wore a warm jacket that in hindsight was more appropriate for the fall. I bought a Quartz jacket and it made being outside in the winter so much more fun and tolerable.
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoSo much this. I got all my Marmot & North Face stuff years ago before they became trendy suburban clothing. The little things like reinforced knees or a bit of extra material in the back so you can bend over without wind exposure makes a huge difference when it's -20F. That stuff has been in constant use for 20 years and except for the gloves that finally gave up from being dunked in water and freezing on a daily basis, is still going strong.
- scwoodal 4y agoThere is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear ;)
- duckmysick 4y ago
- tashoecraft 4y agoElectrically heated clothing is now becoming readily available, and I think it could have a big impact on home heating if people would come around to it. I'm able to keep my office much colder, but wear a heated vest. Why heat the whole room when I'm the only thing that wants to be warm in it? If the clothing was all integrated, in theory I could be kept at my ideal temperature at a nominal electricity cost.
- theGnuMe 4y agoKeeping my hands warm is a bigger problem.. especially when having to type on the computer..
- pamelafox 4y agoI use both fingerless gloves and arm warmers to keep my hands warm.
- gfio 4y agoMy wife knits and made me some fingerless gloves, I'm guessing you could find something similar on eBay or Etsy. Highly recommended
- ajolly 4y agoAbsolute best thing I've found has been silk glove liners, and then cutting the tips off to make them fingerless. For some reason almost all the fingerless gloves you can buy cover half of the finger, not 3/4 of the finger.
- mixmastamyk 4y agoI tried this but they get frayed at the ends, so you end up looking like a hobo digging in the trash. Ended up with some compression/arthritis gloves and they are just the right size, sewn at the ends, reach up to the last digit. But unfortunately they are made of some fabric that tries to minimize heat retention. So they only help a bit. Probably could be paired with the normal wool fingerless gloves. Another factor is to keep the material thin between the fingers or it affects typing. Wish I could design my own (sigh).
- blahedo 4y agoI've known this one for years and years but it always surprises a few of my students (who come from warmer climates) when I mention it: The scarf goes on the inside of the coat. If you put the scarf on the outside, like you think you've seen in TV and movies, it's just decoration. Put it on the inside and it's an insulation layer and it blocks the cold air from blowing down your front. Absolutely game-changing. (Also, have a good coat, but that one seems more obvious to people.)
- scohesc 4y agoI found out if I tie the scarf around my face with the knot at the back of my neck, so the scarf covers the front of my face (mouth/nose/part of ears) and the loose ends loop around and get tucked between my jacket and my chest - I've been infinitely warmer since! Hollywood doesn't know what winter is :P
- chewonbananas 4y agoI've been tying my scarf like that for quite some time! Haven't seen anyone else use it like that, though.
- mikewarot 4y agoHollywood does it that way so you can see the actors face.
- phyzome 4y agoThat makes sense, sort of like a gasket. But for biking, I wear it on the outside so I can keep it over my mouth, allowing me to retain some warmth in my breath.
- orange_fritter 4y agoI use a gaiter for this and it's crucial. It gets damp with breathing, haven't really figured out a good solution besides spinning the gaiter around every once in a while.
- gwbas1c 4y agoThat's usually true... But for a few years I lived in a very well insulated (smallish) apartment in a moderate climate. When it would get cold, I would turn the heat on. My bill would go up by a few dollars. Then, I changed jobs and started working in a colder building. I spent more on warm clothes than I usually spent on heat! (And I had baseboard resistive heating, and I payed extra for wind power.)
- nicbou 4y agoYep. Took me over 20 years, but I got there eventually. A sweater and warm socks are game changers, as is a warm winter jacket and a good scarf. Add some tea and candles and the winter isn't half bad anymore. It's much easier to get through the cold months if you don't dread being outside.
- moffkalast 4y agoPlus your houseplants will thank you... when you die and meet them in the afterlife.
- ozim 4y agoI think one problem is managing moisture not to get mold at home. So most likely you still need to keep heating on but it might not need to be super high - just enough to have convection from heater moving air at home and having some ventilation letting in a bit of outside air in and warm one getting moisture out.
- balfirevic 4y agoFunny, it's only after moving away from my parents and going to college that I learned that you can heat your home so that it's comfortable. No need to dread such things as entering the cold bed at night, leaving the warm bed in the morning or sitting on the cold toilet seat. I wish floor heating was more widespread where I live.
- ROTMetro 4y agoIn floor heating with a geothermal heat pump = winning :) The upfront cost is a killer but quality of life wise afterwards oh man. Zero cold spots and unlimited hot water as a bonus side effect. Especially amazing when you live in the mountains.
- mixmastamyk 4y agoElectric blanket, hot water bottle, robe, soft toilet seat, etc... 1000x more efficient.
- balfirevic 4y ago1000x more miserable too.
- mixmastamyk 4y agoNot at all, these things are downright luxurious. Wouldn't do without them, and you won't know till you try. It's not like you're required to keep the house a freezer in combo. Just silly not to focus the heat where the need is. Do you light up the whole house to illuminate your desk?
- balfirevic 4y agoDid you miss the part where I grew up like what you are describing (except electric blankets, those didn't exist)? I'm not guessing or imagining anything, I know it's much worse. I focus the heat where the need is - the air around me. Otherwise, everything you touch is cold, the air you breath is cold, exposed skin gets cold. Sex only under blankets? No thanks. To be clear, I'm not talking about freezing, everything under 18 degrees C is really cold for me, and under 23 degrees C is somewhat cold. People talk about wearing fingerless gloves at home - yeah I did that as a kid because we were poor, never doing it again unless I go broke.
- fHr 4y agoFirst thing I bought from my first salary was some socks, a comfy thick hoodie and pants. Best investment of my life after going years in broke ass student dime secondhand ancient weared clothing, especially now where we try to save energy and office is not 5 degrees overheated anymore. Everyone complains about being cold and I'm just warm.
- james_pm 4y ago"Staying warm" being the key! Your body generates plenty of heat. The idea is to trap it.
- seanmcdirmid 4y agoAn extreme version of this: my mother in law lives in southern china where they don't get indoor heating by default (and the buildings are poorly insulated and aren't designed to be insulated, so adding it yourself isn't very feasible), so we are all bundled up the entire time we spend there in the winter, and everyone else is to, including the clerks are the department store and so on. The coldest 5C of my life :). That's what happens when central planning makes the above observation.
- btdmaster 4y agoSee also this article from "Mr. Electricity". [1] [1] https://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/heating.html https://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/heating.html
- koonsolo 4y agoI have a problem with my hands. They are always cold when working on the computer.
- dflock 4y agoHeated desk pads are a thing, they will fix this issue.
- rompic 4y agoYou need this calculator: https://comfort.cbe.berkeley.edu/?eyJ0YSI6MTgsInRyIjoxOCwidmVsIjowLCJyaCI6NTUsIm1ldCI6MSwiY2xvIjoxLjU0LCJ0cm0iOjI1LCJ2ZWxfYSI6bnVsbCwid21lIjowLCJ1bml0Ijp0cnVlLCJjaGFydFNlbGVjdGlvbiI6InBzeWNodG9wIn0= https://comfort.cbe.berkeley.edu/?eyJ0YSI6MTgsInRyIjoxOCwidm...
- SergeAx 4y agoI see here a number of comments about turning heating down as a way to live more "green" lifestyle. I see it as a corporate brainwashing and guilt shift getting into people's heads. I just moved and now renting a place with electric water heater with pump moving that heated water around via radiators. It is quite large apartment with shitty, to be honest, insulation. The difference between "I put several layers of clothes on" and "I am wearing a t-shirt" is about 600 kWh per month. The same amount of energy is needed to prodice 30 kg of aluminium or run a single rack in a datacenter for just 2 days. Never in your life your energy consumption can be compared with industrial usage. Likewise, never in you life your water consuption can reach a visible fraction of agricultural irrigation. Stop listening to coprorate PR.
- SamPatt 4y agoI understand your sentiment but your examples still sound like a lot of energy. If every home ran a server rack for two days a month, or produced 30kg of aluminum, that would obviously add up extremely quickly.
- SergeAx 4y agoYes, it's a lot of energy, and it shocked me first, because I never lived in a home that big before. It also costs the money most people consider worth saving. But it still fascinates me how relatively small this amount of energy compared to any type of industrial usage. Also, I need it only 2 months in a year.
- lannisterstark 4y agoI have a chihuahua. I'm willing to accept the slightly higher cost in winters for her being comfy.
- orange_joe 4y agoMy mom has 2 short hair chihuahuas (7-8lbs) and they wear sweaters 6 months a year. Just like the rest of us!
- trashface 4y agoI agree for most people this works, but people with circulatory disorders such as Reynauds may still find that their hands and feet and even nose are freezing. Only fix for that is warm ambient air.
- jeremy_wiebe 4y agoSlippers have been a game changer for staying warm. We live in a concrete apartment building and the floors are always cold in the winter. Insulating my feet is by far the easiest way to stay warm without heating the entire house to a "short sleeves and shorts" comfortable temp.
- rednerrus 4y agoA cashmere sweater is the best investment you'll every make.
- gompertz 4y agoI would love to do this except it's usually my hands that are coldest, and I need them out to type on keyboard majority of time. Thus I have a space heater in my office.
- petemir 4y agoThis is what I hate so far from Switzerland: buildings keep centralized heating at high levels. Even if I set my radiator to the lowest levels, I am still comfortable walking around in shorts and T-shirts in the middle of the winter. And obviously, everyone has to pay for this kind of heating...
- ashz8888 4y agoI put some heating pads in socks, gloves, and sometimes jackets, which I found to work better and much more energy efficient.
- Yaa101 4y agoUnless you live in a super dry area you are causing your house to grow substantial mould and make you live shorter by years or decades. Congratulations...