Living Without Heat

I thought I was the only person who only turns the heat on for guests, but I was wrong. The New York Times published an article yesterday called "Chilled by Choice," which profiles a number of people nationwide who choose to live without heat. I was reading it and thought, "These are my people." I could afford heat, but I don't need it. It's a choice.

I have lived in a variety of minimally or non-heated homes, including a tipi in Almont, Colorado (8,000 feet altitude) and a trailer on a hilltop. For the record, the tipi was more comfortable than the trailer, whose metal walls conducted cold. At the moment, I have the good fortune of living in an apartment complex where the heat from my neighbors' apartments keeps my pipes from freezing. Preserving the integrity of my apartment's plumbing is the only reason I would use heat, but fortunately that's not an issue for me. Here's how I stay warm:

First, I take advantage of passive solar. I open up the drapes during the day and let sunlight in to heat my apartment. At night, I close the drapes to keep heat in. Second, I wear appropriate clothing. As soon as I come home, I change into long underwear, heavy sweatpants, a fleece jacket, and a hat. I wear socks and shoes inside the house. Wearing a hat is the single best way to regulate body temperature. I actually wear lighter clothing outside of my house than inside of it. Third, I sleep in a negative 20 degree sleeping bag, which insulates so well that I actually sometimes wake up hot in the middle of the night. Sometimes it's hard to get out of my warm bed in the morning, but I get up and start moving. Polypropylene long underwear is my saving grace because it traps body heat like nobody's business but wicks away sweat. As soon as I start moving, I reach a comfortable temperature. The time between getting out of bed and feeling warm again is short.

I understand that this might sound extreme. I'm single and don't spend much time at home. Basically, I leave early in the morning and return home late at night. In the hour or two that I'm awake and at home, it just does not seem worthwhile to turn on the heat. I have compassion on guests who do not come equipped with long underwear - I turn the heater on for them, and then turn it off as soon as they leave.

Why should my non-heat lifestyle matter to you? I'm showing you that it is possible to conserve energy by living with slight inconveniences. If I can live without heat at all, you can surely turn your heat down to 55 degrees.