Every year I try to go the entire winter without turning on the heat in my apartment. It’s a stupid I challenge I try to do because it saves a bit of money and it can also illustrate how mild the winters are in Vancouver. In most years, I’ve done it successfully without too much discomfort. On the odd evening I might have to wear a hoody and some socks. The years where heated hallway air got blown in under my apartment door made it really easy. I’ve since sealed the gap under the door so I can’t rely on that.
Fast-forward to this evening. It is currently -6 degrees Celsius outside. For Vancouver, that’s a deep freeze. All evening I’ve worn socks and a somewhat puffy North Face jacket. Despite this, I was still uncomfortably cold in my apartment. Rather start to shiver in my own home, I decided to turn on the heat in my bedroom and only in my bedroom. When I went to turn up the thermostat I could hear the heat click on at 15 degrees Celsius. That meant it was less than that in my apartment. I decided to leave it at 15. That might seem way too cold still but I can tell it feels much better now. I probably leave it on overnight as I sleep.
Hopefully next year I’ll be more successful if winter isn’t as cold.