Our house has had air conditioning for a few years now but because we've just moved in nobody really knows how it works. The first month we had it, we went overboard and ended up with a humongous power bill! Since then it's been used on the basis of "if it's hot enough, whack it on for a couple hours".
However, recently TLR has decided (I'm not entirely sure if this is with the sanction of other roommates, but she certainly hasn't approached me about it) that we should keep it on in the lounge room so one room will always be cool. This idea has merit, I suppose, if any of us actually spent time in the lounge. At the moment, she's the only one that frequents that space (because that's where the tv is). Everyone else prefers hanging out in their own rooms where the internet is!
Anyway, it was particularly hot today so when I got home from university (and was the only one home) I decided to put the air conditioning on in my room (and turn it off in the lounge so as not to use excessive power) to cool down after walking 20 minutes home from the bus stop in the raging heat. When TLR arrived home I suggested going grocery shopping. I'm trying to suggest a whole bunch of things we can all do together, and inviting her shopping will, hopefully, mean that when she goes shopping she'll extend the same courtesy. But moving right along from that! I suggested going grocery shopping and as we both collected our things and made to leave the house I went to switch off the air con (there was nobody else home at this point). While doing so, she stopped me...
TLR: Why are you turning the air con off?
Me: Well, there's nobody else home so it's a waste of power to keep it on...
TLR: You should leave it on! That way, when the others get home it'll be nice and cool.
Me: But they're not going to be home for at least another hour?
TLR: Yeah, but the house will get all warm again if we turn it off! Just leave it on in this room.
Me (begrudgingly giving up on this skewed logic of hers): fine...
Later that afternoon I wandered out into the lounge on my way to the toilet and noticed several bright yellow labels stuck to the controls for the air con. They read as follows:
"Hi guys! I know how hot it's been and what has been working really well for everyone as a house whole is leaving the lounge room on and sometimes the kitchen. This provides a large room that is always cool for everyone and not just individuals! In order for this to work can you please leave the lounge on at all times and to not be selfish and put your own room on.
However, at night once everyone goes to bed you can put individual rooms on in order to sleep! So everyone please, don't be selfish and immature when it comes to the air con. And together we can keep our powerbill low and stay cool at the same time!
<3 The House"
Wow...well to make a list, these are the problems I have with the note!
what has been working really well for everyone
What? Really?? I doubt very much that she talked to anyone else about this schedule and considering I've complained about it several times it's obviously not working well for everyone.
leave the loungeroom on at all times
All times? I thought this was about saving power, not needlessly wasting it to keep the house at 20C when there's nobody home.
[don't] be selfish and put your own room on
You've gotta be shitting me. I'm thinking that this is a direct jab at me because I had my room on this afternoon. OH NO HOW SELFISH OF ME! Instead of leaving the air con on in the opposite end of the house to my room I turned it off and actually used the power to achieve something; cooling me down, not keeping the tv at perfect room temperature! How scandalous. I must stop being so selfish and "immature" in the future.
put individual rooms on in order to sleep
Seriously? Once you're asleep you don't need to keep the air cool. You're asleep. Unless it gets deathly hot, you won't even notice until morning. The last month I've been sleeping on top of my bed without blankets on and right next to the window so the breeze comes through. All the while she's been popping on the air con to keep herself cool and increase the size of our power bill in the process. A power bill which all of us are paying for.
<3 House
Really all this does is show that she doesn't have the balls to say that this letter is from her. This way it sounds that the household itself has agreed to the guidelines she's laid out in this little note. I've got half a mind to confront her and ask when all this was decided on.
We all pay the same rent and yet it seems like she gets more of a say in how the household is run. I'm not saying the others haven't had a say (they might have while I was away), but to me it feels like anything I say is instantly cast aside for the way she thinks things should be.
*sigh*
~C~
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