Is It Too Early To Turn The Heat Down Yet? Not All Mainers Think So.

Twice a year, Mainers enter a vicious debate...

When to turn the heat on for the season... And when to turn the heat off for the season. There are just two people in my house, and we also still have this discussion. Although, it's not much of discussion. My wife does what she wants, and I just smile and nod. Someone has to wear the pants in every household, and it's not me.

But most families, once we get a bit deeper into the spring or fall, the discussions begin. Let's face it... Both seasons provide plenty of false starts and stops. You'll have the occasional 70 degrees days in late October/early November, and the same in March and April. Heck, this year our first 60+ degree day was in February.

Right now, as we speak, these thermostat battles are beginning.

That's how it starts in my house anyway. We have the thermostat set from whatever season we're rolling out of, and my wife will start adjusting it willy-nilly. Up, down... she'd turn it sideways if she could. And I'm seeing a ton of evidence on social media. I remembered this thread from last spring on Reddit for instance, there was a fairly well-rounded, almost heated (pun fully intended), debate.

Although as usual, the big debate is centering around the price of oil. Lots of folks are shutting the heat off or down significantly in an effort to combat the price of heating oil. Although, my furnace guy told me once that in winter, it doesn't matter as much what you set it on, but that you pick a temp and leave it. Day and night.

Don't touch that dial...errr... thermostat.

He said whether you have it set on 55 or 85, the furnace will kick on every time the temp drops a degree below where it's set. In the dead of winter, suffering at 60 degrees isn't really saving you an appreciable amount of money. Maybe some. But probably not enough to be cold all the time.

You gotta do what feels right to you, for sure. But I tell you, I can't wait for my heat pump to be installed. Maybe it's too late for winter. But we're about to hit summer soon enough. I look forward to being cool. And then, maybe even warm enough next winter.

Keep scrolling to see what Mainers think is the perfect indoor temp...