Northwest Illinois chiming in here. We were so happy for cool weather to come (summer was hotter and longer than usual), but are suffering the ambivalence of knowing the prices are going to be killers for our heat. We've turned it on two mornings just to take the chill off of our zone one (we live in a very old house and have 4 zones, thank heaven). It's actually cheaper to turn the oven (electric) on for a few minutes to heat the kitchen than to try to heat that zone. Everything stays at 55 minimum to keep pipes from freezing once that becomes an issue. Our bedroom ... we simply keep it cool (55 on the thermostat, but it's usually warmer due to 'hot air rising') and are happy to sleep in a cooler room. We, too, are layering on the sweaters to use less heat. I've really never known a cool house to cause more illness for basically healthy people. Being exposed to children seems the largest single factor in which friends I have who catch all the bugs all winter, secondly is not getting their flu shots. My perception (and it is just that, I'm no expert and don't pretend to be) is that people who overheat their houses seem to catch MORE colds. Too much temperature change? That child thing just giving me a false perception? I've given up on buying pretty sweaters to go to house parties in because I need to strip down because of the heat! Another hint? My washer/dryer are in my bathroom, so I toss my clothes in the dryer while I shower. Toasty warm when I get out!
I could put a sweater on, but when my nose and hands are cold, thats a sure sign it's time to turn on the furnace
