One option, that is no fun for makers because it doesn’t require making anything, would be to put the blanket on a relay timer and then layer it under a pile of blankets. That way the blankets and the unpowered electric blanket keep you warm all night, but then the power kicks on to wake you up.
And I have to say, my experience with this strategy is that you will always wake up sweaty, so you’ll need to shower in the morning.
I’ve considering making one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu
It’s a low table with a heater under it surrounded by a blanket (or comforter) skirt.
Instructables has a couple articles about Kotatsu:
http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/category-living/keyword-kotatsu/
I’ve considered making one of these. I haven’t because it would require too much change from my normal routine. I might decide to drop the thermostat a lot more this winter and use more localized heat.
{I got a little carried away with this. Sorry for the hijack.}
A lot of my friends let their houses cool to 50-55F during the day. I use 63 or 64 with a bump to 68 around 7pm for 2 hours. (I arrive home late after work). At 9pm, it goes to 65 or 66, usually, but (embarrassed!) 71 for wake up and morning showers.
There are four daily temperature zones, and the times are adjustable:
The zones are: Wake, Leave, Return, Sleep (something like this—there are only four).
I use 6am, 8am, 7pm, 10pm
Temps are: 71, 64, 68, 65
71 is great for getting out of bed and showering.
68 is really nice for working at home in the evening. The kitchen is often warmer because of cooking. 68 is also pretty good for evening showers.
As the house cools off starting around 9pm (it’s a weird thing how the schedule programming works), you actually start to get sleepy. If you tend to stay up late, try dropping the temperature a bit early in the evening.
65 is really nice for sleeping. The thermostat is on the first floor, and I sleep on the second, so it’s actually colder in my room, which I love.
The cat doesn’t seem to mind 64, although I notice she favors sunny spots.
I never realized until writing this that I only really care about the temperature for 3 hours at night (after that I want it to slowly cool off), and 2 hours in the morning. That’s pretty cool. If there were kids around, I’d probably go for 68 from 4 to 8pm or 4 to 9pm. It’s pretty cool how just dropping the temperature affects kids—they get sleepy.
Also, I’m going to experiment with the 71 setting. That might be why I wake up sweaty. I’m pretty sure I arrived at it by experiment, but I’ll check it out. I’m thinking even if I use 68 I’ll still wake up sweaty because I’m bundled up under blankets for lower temps.
The real trick to all of this is that if you you’re off the normal schedule, or are just are cold, you can just change the thermostat and specify how long to hold that temperature.
When I’m home, like on Saturday, I use a blanket at the computer and for watching TV. Years ago I visited a friend whose wife was English. She said she didn’t like the American norm of having a warm house in the winter. She felt it was much nicer to actually wear long sleeves and sweaters. I basically agree with her, except for the morning shower.
One completely unexpected benefit of having a thermostat that varies temperatures on a schedule is that my basement is much much drier than it used to be. I really can’t explain why, but I think the longer warm-up periods cause the air to move more down there.
Also, if you want to add a thermstat with programming capability, they can be really cheap ($20-30) and really easy to install as long as your HVAC system is simple. Mine is a hodge-podge of new and old, and it’s complicated. If you have a heat pump, you might have to have it done professionally. The wifi-enabled thermstats are really tempting, but I’m gonna wait ten years (I hope) for the next big HVAC upgrade.
In 2007, I got a SEER 13 heat pump and a 95% efficient furnace. My circulation fan is on all the time, which I believe really helps. I get reports from Duke that my house is more efficient than others in my area, but I’m a little skeptical. I can definitely do better. I’ve got a lot more house than I need. I especially need to be more vigilant with setting a low temperature when I’m away for business or a weekend.
I think I’m going to experiment this winter with very low temperatures for the daytime and sleeptime. I want to see how much the temperatures actually drop—or if they stabilize (especially in the sun). What I think I want is for as little heating as possible when someone isn’t home, or is sleeping (it wakes me up sometimes). I’ve got a couple places where an extended “furnace off” time might cause a pipe to freeze. I’ll have to keep an eye on that.
Again, sorry for the long diversion.
Matthew
