[andai]

The price of gas recently increased sixfold here, so I just stopped heating my apartment. It's 12-13C in my living room and after a few weeks of discomfort this now feels like a comfortable temperature to me. (I might need to turn it on in a few weeks though, if it gets much colder. Even so, I've recalibrated my body to feel comfortable at a much lower temperature now, which is super cool!)

I did this due to some combination of poverty and stoicism, but it made me realize how much gas I was burning before without really needing it. (I always felt a little bad using so much of a nonrenewable resource.)

Sure I like it when it's warm inside, but really it's an unnecessary luxury we've all gotten used to. (At least for the young and healthy -- I hear for older people cold temperatures can be harmful?)

Worth noting though that I do get some heat through my walls from the neighbors -- if we all turned off the heat it would be a lot colder ;) Even so I reckon the usage could be cut by a good deal (40-50%?) without any serious issues, it would just be a very unpopular proposal.