climate control

Although I work in the environmental biz, I'm not a die-hard environmentalist. I don't save toilet flushes, or compost, or bicycle to all my errands.

At the same time, certain energy-wasting habits are a mystery to me. Like climate control.

I had a really hard time with some of my roommates in grad school because they would do things like set the heat at full blast while keeping the windows open for "airing." I could attribute this to my roommates being young and never having to pay for their own energy bills.

What I can't understand is getting to my hotel at night and finding that on a lovely summer day (70s, light breeze), everything in the hotel is set to 65 degrees. Here's a hint for all: in the winter, you should expect the indoor temperature to be set at a lower temperature than in the summer. First, it's unnecessary and energy wasting to have the room so cold in the summer, and second, it totally throws off my own internal temperature regulating system and I completely wilt when I go outside.

At the same time, I do understand that if a hotel provides only a single blanket, and that blanket is a gigantic comforter that's more than 6" thick, you need to keep the AC cranked up so that you don't wake up in a puddle of sweat in the middle of the night. Why the hotel is compelled to put a 35-degree comforter in every room in the summer is another mystery...