Dressing to Save on Energy Expenditures
by Kathy Hancock
(Western KY, USA)
Years ago, I had four children and a divorce within six years, then was widowed from a second husband in under one year. The children's father and my husband's widower's pension allowed us to stay warm in the winter and luxuriously cool in the summer. We have lived in Western Kentucky all the while and winters dip to 16 degrees in January and February, summers up to 106 degrees in August. I splurged on 'comfortable' thermostat settings the whole while so I could be strong enough to keep up with the kids, while "saying" I was doing it for their well being.
The kids got bigger and moved away and I now pay more attention to environmental issues. When they visit they sometimes mention how they are careful to conserve, which possibly sparked some more interest on my part.
I have discovered some simple clothing tricks to help conserve the amount of energy I use to heat and cool my home. Stocking up on these clothing staples really saves.
It has been years since my mother dressed me in undershirts, thermal tops or pants and sweaters or sweatshirts. I had been avoiding most of these items unless there were four inches of snow on the ground. Now I use them quite often and am able to keep the thermostat 8 to 10 degrees lower than I could stand to before and still feel actually comfortable. Other items that can be used in cool weather very effectively are silk, nylon or any kind of camisole or slip, such as a chemise, half slip or even a pair of Tricot pajamas. The slips or camisoles slide under blouses, sweaters, tees and dresses and are as warm, to me, as thermals. The pajama bottoms can be used in place of thermal pants, also very warm under your clothing. I like to layer a camisole, pajama bottom and a tee under a sweater or sweatshirt with pants or jeans. This is very cozy.
In the summer, one of my secret weapons against the heat are thong sandals, especially the inexpensive kind under $5 that are typically used at the beach or when washing a car. I wear these often around the house for house shoes and am much cooler for it. Other choices include mesh athletic shorts, tanks known as yoga tops, sun dresses and of course shorts in a cotton blend and other types of tanks. During the summer make certain to keep a large pitcher or jug of water, filtered or not in the icebox, ready to drink, and, plenty of ice in the trays. A tall glass of ice water is the coolest drink there is, and costs nothing. It is easy to get out of the habit of drinking water, but it can really help you avoid high air conditioning bills. If you can't tolerate that much water all of the time, alternating it with real fruit juice will help you acquire a tolerance for more of it.
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