My fingers are cold as I type this.
No, the power is still on or I couldn’t be keyboarding this into the computer. No, I haven’t turned the central heat off. In fact its set at a temperature that lots of folks considered comfy this summer if maybe a little warm. I set it at 66. So I’m used to seventy or so! I usually had the central air set at 75 during the day and 69 or 70 at night during the summer. Most of the spring and fall I didn’t even use it.
Problem is this cold snap has got me to thinking troubling thoughts. This nice house of mine, while I appreciate it and am grateful to have it, has its draw backs. While it is well insulated it isn’t oriented so that the longest side faces south so that I could catch the winter sun for extra warmth. The Law said, I was told when I requested that orientation, the front of the house had to face the nearest public road. That road runs north/south so now the longest sides of my house face into the morning sun and the setting sun. Not a good thing during the summer. I am trying to think of ways I can afford that will capture that passive solar energy and use it to good purpose. Right now I’d love it if I had a small narrow green house on the south end of my house.
The most troubling thought I have about this house is that it is an ALL ELECTRIC house with central heat and air. Yes, I do like the central heat and air. I remember all too well my old house where the temperatures during high summer and low winter would make it nearly impossible to use the kitchen and made the bathroom seem more like an outhouse. (Ever set on a really cold toilet seat?) Why does the fact that my house is all electric bother me? It’s great now, but what do I do if the power goes off for some reason? And stays off for a long time? I know there are some of you out there shrugging and saying, “Pack up some clothes, your dog and cat, and go stay with relatives or friends.” So, what do I do if I can’t for some reason? A blizzard for example, or a region wide power loss due to ice, wind, or some other weirdness that can and has happened elsewhere could keep me in place for a long time without power.
I know others of you out there are just grinning and shaking your heads. “Silly girl!” you say to yourselves, “If it worries you that much just go buy a nice big generator.” To which I reply, “So how will I pay the ridiculous cost of the gasoline or diesel to run that generator?”
By now you are all rolling your eyes and thinking, “Give us a break, Montgomery!” To which I tartly reply. “NO. I will not. I want YOU to think about how you would live if the electricity went away.” I mean that. How would you cook your food? So you have a grill outside. All well and good, but then what do you do if it’s raining out and you don’t have a covered patio, deck or some other safe place you can use such a thing. Don’t even think of bringing it inside the house, you’ll kill yourselves! Speaking of inside the house, how will you stay warm if it’s cold, or survive the heat if it’s hot out or even open food cans with no power opener?
My point is houses should not be built with only one source for power, for heating, cooling, cooking and keeping food. Yes, electricity is convenient and easy. But it is also easy to interrupt and often hard to reconnect. Think about it.
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