i (26 years old) live with my roommate (27 years old). We split the rent and have been for a while now. He’s completely nuts about being cozy, which to him means cranking the thermostat up to 78 or 80 and leaving it running all day. I work from home and its like walking into a sauna – the meetings are grueling enough without feeling like i’m going to spontaneously combust.
i asked him to please keep the temperature reasonable a bunch of times. He’d say okay, but as soon as i went to bed or left the room, he’d flip it back to " arctic to tropical climate" . Finally, i told him if he wants to live in a constant heatwave, he can take out his wallet and write the extra checks. But he just said i’m being controlling and that temperature just isn’t that big of a deal.
so i decided to take matters into my own hands. I changed the app password on the thermostat and set it to keep the house at a reasonable 72 degrees during the day and 68 at night. He finds out, changes the password, and proceeds to call me a total psycho. "acting like you’re the owner of the place" he says. its getting pretty ridiculous.
now he’s been telling all our friends that i’m being financially abusive because i won’t let him turn the heat up to broil with MY money. And our friends are really split on it – some just laugh along with us like its a hilarious joke, while others are actually starting to think he’s lost his mind.
68 at night would interrupt my sleep, but 78 is out of hand. Dude needs a snuggie.
NTA – Sounds like you need a new room mate. You tried to reason with him about it and he ignored you. 80 is objectively way warmer than a house needs to be in the winter time anyway. He could just wear a sweater if he’s cold
Wow, sounds like you two need to look for new roommates. When is your lease up? I’d also be handing the whole heating bill(gas or electric) over to him to pay if he’s going to be making it a sauna all the time.
NTA – idk why ppl in the comments are already weird about this. That is an abnormal temperature. Keeping things a standard room temp seems more than fair and he can bundle up or buy a small heater if needed that badly (would probably save money on bills too).
Turning heat up like that would be bad for my own personal health issues honestly – BUT on that note it sounds like he might be low iron or something? He should get a checkup to see why he’s feeling cold enough to make his home that warm.
When it’s cold I like to seat my heater at 80 in my bedroom w/the door closed. When others enter my room when I’m in toasty mode they always comment on how hot it is. I would never set the whole house to my preferred temp tho bc I know it’s ridiculously hot
An iron deficiency or something wouldn’t surprise me. Desiring temperatures like this is fairly common in people with specific medical conditions.
> Turning heat up like that would be bad for my own personal health issues honestly
Same, I literally pass out if I get too hot, and I get hot easily. I could not live like this.
Mild ESH
I’m sorry, he thinks between 68-72 is “Arctic”? Is he a lizard person? Do you live in a terrarium? Get a new roommate, it’s time to move out. He does pay half the rent therefore you cannot reasonably lock him out of the a/c/heat unit.
NTA. It’s always possible to wear more layers if you’re cold. You can’t take off your skin if you’re too hot.
On top of that, I’m sure your utilities are through the roof. 80 degrees is not a reasonable temperature and it’s absurd to expect you to pay for that.
If he wants to be so toasty, he needs to buy his own space heater and pay a greater portion of the electric bill.
You should change the password again.
Tell him to use a heating pad or get a heated blanket.
NTA, above 75 is a Sauna. It sucks that he has poor blood circulation or whatever is causing him to be cold but it’s harder to get cool than it is to get warm.
NTA Who cranks the heat above 72 in the winter?! That’s crazy. I live in Minnesota. I would bet a lot of money that most people (unless living in poverty and forced to set it lower as a result) set their thermostats between 68 and 72.
I have Raynaud’s and am constantly cold. Yet my house is 68 during the day and 60 at night.
And unless you have a good humidifier, 78 or above in the winter means air drier than the Sahara. Not good for you!
Not to mention the cost. What is wrong with your roommate?
67-69 in the day and 64 at night for me. Any hotter and I’m uncomfortable. If I’m ever a little chilly a blanket or a sweater solves it.
NTA – 1. Its costing you money, 2. Its uncomfortable in your own house.
My office at work is like this, there are a certain group that complain about being cold. My response is “You can wear a sweater, you probably won’t like it when I’m walking around the office in a speedo”