Pages tagged “house”

27 Oct 2013

On thermostats

Crawling into a cupboard with a headtorch and squinting at an LCD display while repeatedly pressing buttons isn’t much fun. Until recently, this was the only way we could control the central heating in our house. So it was with some pleasure that we upgraded our house’s thermostat. We now have a Heatmiser wifi thermostat, and we are truly living in the future. We can: reprogram the heating without needing a headtorch turn the heating on/off/up/down from any network-connected device tell the system we’re away for the next x days, and have it save fuel check on the system from anywhere Being able to “make fire” from miles away feels like such a step up from a caveman rubbing twigs together!

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28 Jul 2013

Survival Night 2013

As I needed to air my tent and check my camping stove in preparation for a Scottish expedition, it seemed a good opportunity to think: how would Sarah and I - and Iris! - manage if our house was without power, gas or water? I’ve a fair bit of outdoor kit anyway, but have indulged my inner caveman by putting together a bit of a “survival kit” at home. Checking it over once a year seems like a good thing to do, so Survival Night will become an annual event.

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