We got along great, until the thermostat broke
I’ll admit, I wasn’t prepared to sign on for another relationship when I met my current boyfriend.
I had been single for a few months and I was really enjoying my solitude and extra time for self-care. I felt like my ambitions were the only thing I needed to worry about and I enjoyed having all of that focus. Then, I met a guy and fell into a romantic partnership. I was not trying to move things along quickly, but we realized fairly early on that we could both save a lot of money if we moved in together. I have to tell you, things actually went a lot better than you would anticipate… At first. For the first several months we got along wonderfully because the outdoor climate was absolutely gorgeous. We didn’t have to worry about indoor air handling devices, controlling the thermostat, or feeling trapped inside the house together. It was comfortable inside and outside, so we could rely on natural ventilation and our respective hobbies. And then, the summer set in. As soon as our summertime weather rolled into the area, bringing oppressive heat and humidity with it, our living situation got a lot more stressful. We were doing our best to discuss the indoor air temperature everyday. We were compromising on the central air conditioning settings and splitting the energy bill responsibly. However, it still seemed tense when we didn’t agree on the current indoor air quality control settings. We relied on our smart thermostat to give us pointers about energy efficiency and eco-friendly settings, which helped to dissipate some of the arguments. The day that our smart thermostat broke down, however, so did our relationship. It’s been about a week, and we haven’t been able to speak thanks to this air quality tension.