Up the Thermostat

Last week we switched the thermostat from “cool” to “heat.” Not because the equinox is behind us, not because the calendar says it’s almost October, but because the house was cold.

In Chicago, landlords must ensure habitable spaces are at least 68 degrees warm from September 15 till June 1, or “heat season.” If you’re chilly Sept 12, tough luck. Last I knew, the U.S. Army required soldiers to change between summer and winter uniforms on specified dates, weather be damned.

Individuals and cultures have different preferences between rigidity/order and flexibility/chaos. Some parents tuck toddlers into bed at eight, others when they act overtired and cranky. But an additional factor shapes whether turn-of-the-year shifts depend more on calendar or weather.

How close is the person who reaps the benefit to the one who bears the cost or risk? If you swap out summer for winter wear in your closet, no one else cares. On the other hand, the landlord who pays the heating bill may never have met the shivering tenant. The same question fits non-seasonal issues too, but that’s for another day.