How will we heat and cool our sunroom?

My wife and I decided that we wanted to build a sunroom.

Our back porch always felt like it was missing something.

We wanted a means of better appreciating our big and beautiful backyard. We decided the house could really do with a sunroom addition. We decided to make sure that the sunroom was at least somewhat insulated. Having all those windows makes that difficult, but we made sure the glass was considerably thick. We can always open those windows when we want fresh air and to be a little closer to the outside. However, I still want to enjoy my sunroom in the winter. We might also hang out there in the heat of the day in the summer. We would certainly need more than just pulling down the shades. That pretty much means that we need to come up with a certain means of heating and cooling the sunroom. We considered window air conditioner and heater combinations. Then we realized that we could simply use space heaters for the winter. Those wouldn’t be too difficult to set up at all, and they should be sufficient to keep us warm. Whatever we chose to do, we certainly didn’t want to have to expand the ductwork into the sunroom. So, we have the heat covered, what about the air conditioner? Well, we ultimately decided to go with ductless mini-split HVAC. A ductless heating and cooling system was pretty cheap to install and a pretty simple unit that could serve only the sunroom and suit our purposes rather well!

 

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Finally getting relief after a heat wave

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder.

That’s just fine with me.

This last summer brought with it an uncharacteristic heat wave for our area. I had never gotten so much use out of my air conditioning system before. Most of the time in the summer, my house is completely comfortable with nothing more than ceiling fans running, if that. In fact, I could usually keep my thermostat at 74° during the day, and it would stay there without the A/C kicking in very often at all. That was not the case over this past summer. My thermostat would climb to 80° if I left the air conditioner off! Now though, I could finally set my sights on the fall and wintertime. I may not use my heating system throughout most of the fall months depending on how cold it gets. I love it when my house gets down into the ’60s. It feels wonderful. If it gets too chilly, more often than not, I’ll simply slip on an extra layer or put some slippers on that are a little bit thicker and cozier. And of course, there’s nothing quite like having a nice cool house when it’s time to go to sleep! There’s nothing that helps me sleep better than a truly cool room. That’s why I’m so happy that the colder seasons are on the way. I don’t do well in the heat, so it’s time to get back and relax in the cool.

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What is the ideal temperature in a retail store?

What is the ideal temperature to set in a retail store? Well, it depends on the season.

Although every individual customer may have an individual preference for where the thermostat should be set at any given time, there are general guidelines that a retail store owner can follow to ensure that the most people are comfortable. First of all, consider the season and the weather outside. The same temperature on the thermostat is going to feel very different in the summer compared to the winter. Therefore, setting the same temperature no matter what time of year it is is probably not the best idea in the world. In the winter, it is recommended that the thermostats be set to around 69°. That’s going to feel warmer than you may be thinking if it’s truly frigid outside. In the summer, on the other hand, it’s generally a good idea to keep the thermostat around 73°. These are economical temperatures that also manage to keep most shoppers comfortable. Still, it’s good to listen to feedback from shoppers to see if they are happy with the temperatures in the store. It’s also good to observe them and what they’re wearing when they come in. If there’s an excessive number of people wearing jackets in your store in the summer, for example, it’s probably not a good sign. Alternatively, if people are shedding their layers whenever they come into your store in the winter, you probably need to turn down the thermostat. When it comes to the temperature in your store, the customer is always right!

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Why is it so cold in the store I frequent?

I’ve often wondered what the temperature is in many of the retail stores that I visit.

  • One big box store in particular that I visit nearly every week always seems to be frigid, no matter the time of day or the season.

I wonder what their reasoning is for practically trying to freeze everybody out. I know I’m not the only one who thinks that it’s too cold in the store, because I’ve struck up casual conversations with other customers before who feel the same way. I also notice customers coming into the store with jackets even in the middle of the summer. There are other stores in my town that seem to have the opposite problem. They always seem too hot. There’s a little bakery I frequent for fresh baked bread and pastries. It’s always very warm in that shop. Granted, they’ve got ovens running around the clock and the door is constantly jingling open and shut, letting the heat in from the outside. I’m pretty sure the bakery has less control over the excessive warmth in their shop than the big box store does, though. I’m not sure what demographic the managers who keep the temperature so low in this store are trying to appeal to, but it ain’t me! I’ve pretty much just resigned myself to wearing an extra layer whenever I go into the store. As much as I complain about the temperature, the prices are amazingly low for quality goods, so I’ll keep coming!

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Forgetting to adjust the digital thermostat

I had been so busy the whole day I barely had time to look at my phone.

When I looked at my phone at around eight in the evening, I found several missed calls from my son.

I immediately called him back. He told me our climate control system was broken because the house was cold. The evenings were starting to get colder. That is when it hit me that I must have missed the alarm to readjust the temperature settings on the digital thermostat. I usually changed the settings when nobody was at home to save energy. He had even called the local air conditioning business asking for an a/c repairman to find out what was wrong with the a/c setup. I told him there was no need for a/c repair and explained what was happening with the air conditioner. It was about time I taught him basic things about the central air conditioner and how to reset the regulator. I realized that he was already twelve and did not know much about the air conditioning install, and since it was just him and me in our house, it was paramount that he learned basic things such as replacing the air conditioning filter. The other stuff, such as the a/c service, could be left for the air conditioning professional. As for a/c care, we would play our part in it because only some things about the HVAC system were up to the air conditioning company. That night after dinner, I gave him a simplified version of what he needed to know. From then on, he was more keen and observant.
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