I routinely review the search-engine phrases which land people at this blog, and plan to begin trying to answer the questions posed as best I can.
Today someone came here after querying, “Is it safe to live in a very cold house?”
A: For godsake, no, it is not! You can perish at any moment in a very cold or even moderately cold house, exactly as you can in a moderately warm or very warm house. The general sources of danger which exist in the world– including medical catastrophes, hazardous pets*, and jet-engines falling from the sky into your home, exist as much in cold houses as in warm. Thus, I suggest that if you choose to live in a cold house, you should not let your guard down. [*Exception: the danger of being bitten by a tropical poisonous snake, whether wild or kept as a pet, may be lower in a colder house.]
October 24, 2010 at 7:14 pm |
Last night, over dinner, someone said it wasn’t “safe” to leave one’s house at less than 15C (!) while not home. (Sigh. Why do seemingly intelligent and rational people assume that pipes freeze at 14C? besides, talking to my friend who converted her swimming pool into a root cellar – biggest problem is keeping it *cold enough* – the ventilation is to pull cold air in!
October 24, 2010 at 7:22 pm |
Mystifying. In a similar vein, I’ve seem some comments from people (on other blogs) who report that they set their programmable thermostats lower at night (while they’re home) than during the day (while they’re at work). I have trouble understanding the rationale.