Yesterday, I joined the Freeze Yer Buns challenge put out by Crunchy Chicken.
This challenge is to lower the thermostat, don your socks and sweaters and save a little energy (and money!). Read all about the challenge by clicking on the graphic in this post or following this link: Freeze Yer Buns!
For us, we normally have the thermostat set at 65 during the day and 60 at night. But I’m kind of a wimp, and here all day in this drafty old house, so I usually crank it up to 67 or 68 during the day. After reading some of the responses of the people already doing the challenge, I realized what a wimp I’ve been (I’m mean, I AM a Colorado native after all… suck it up, girl!). So I dropped it down to 64 yesterday. My goal is to get it a little lower over the next few weeks and see what kind of money it saves us!
Crunchy Chicken shared this quote by one of our presidents. Does anyone know who said it? What were the circumstances? Why would he issue such a challenge, and did we the people listen?
“I again ask every American to lower the thermostat settings in all homes and buildings to no more than 65 degrees during the daytime and to a much lower setting at night. This single step, if carried out by all our people, can eliminate half the current shortage of natural gas and put thousands of Americans back to work.
I have turned the thermostat down in the White House and have ordered it reduced in all Government buildings. And I ask everyone in the country to cooperate so that no one will have to go without crucial heat.
Finally, I must say to you quite frankly that this is not a temporary request for conservation. Our energy problems will not be over next year or the year after. Further sacrifices in addition to lowering thermostats may well be necessary. But I believe this country is tough enough and strong enough to meet that challenge. And I ask all Americans to cooperate in minimizing the adverse effect on the lives of our people.”
So… can you take the challenge? Feel free to join here or on the Crunchy Chicken blog. Just post a comment with your guess about the presidential quote (no cheating!!) and where you are going to set the thermostat in your home. I plan to check up with all of you, and to share our progress in the next few months since the challenge goes until April.
And, for a little more incentive, posters on my blog to guess that quote correctly (and commit to the challenge) will get entered into a drawing for some winter woolies in the mail from me!
*Oops! I forgot to set a deadline for entering the drawing! The drawing will end at 10am MST on Wednesday, February 18th! See, I told you all that I was new at this give-away thing! *
The Lazy Homesteader 
We always have our heat set at 60, believe it or not! We have baseboard heat, so turning it down at night doesn’t really help us that much because it takes at least two hours for it to get back up in the morning and uses more energy to get it back up there. 60 is pretty freakin low if you ask me though! I don’t think we can go any lower, I’m already bundled!
I would have to guess the presidential quote was in the 70’s..you know, that whole energy crisis back then…so, Jimmy Carter?
Hey what themes is yours? I want it! I started my blog-no idea what I am doing..
http://fullcirclejg.wordpress.com/
I don’t think my theme is available anymore. I looked through them and it’s no longer there. 😦 Sorry. It’s all mine I guess! 😉
Congrats on the new blog!
i guess we win because we’ve been way BELOW 60 degrees for over a week because our freakin’ boiler room is on the blitz – grrrrrrrrr! numerous calls/text msgs to landlord and still no heat/hot water or intermittent heat/hot water. scarves, gloves, hats, coats, etc – never loved them so much and now we get to wear them indoors! i’ve been freezing COLD way too long…grrrr!
oops, forgot to leave my guess: jimmy carter – this was a huge thing in the late 70’s. i know this because i was alive then, ha! but also because carter made a huge impact on me when i started really paying attention to the presidents of our time, back then that is. i really wish we would have paid more attention to the issues back then too!
My guess is Jimmy Carter as well since he reigned during the energy crisis. I think we are already freezing our buns as well as we keep the house at 60 degrees. Not that impressive for you true Midwesterns, but houses aren’t built with much insulation out in the Pacific Northwest.
KJ
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