I agree it’s good to “see” you @JamJerrupSunset!
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We did the same. Newer LEDs kits are astonishingly reasonable - about $5-8 per, and are fully dimmable.
We put in new ones when we redid the living room, etc. It was far less expensive than the traditional method of installing cans, bulbs and recessed trim. They are also available with different “color temps” (kelvin ratings) - 3000 (warm), 4000 (natural), 5000 (cold / blue). IMO, the 4000 is a great choice for attractive neutral lighting.
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It’s amazing how many people have no idea how things work.
I had a neighbor accuse me of “using all the water” because she wasn’t getting any at her place a couple hundred meters down from mine. I tried to explain to her that when the city sends water down our main (which doesn’t happen 24/7- it’s on a rotating schedule) the nature of water is that it flows into any open pipe and fills everyone’s pipes and cistern at the same time. Not to mention I’m only one person and don’t use that much water.
She couldn’t be convinced until she realized 2 weeks later she had a big water leak under her outbuilding.
P.S. 73 isn’t way too hot for me 
Yes well chooks and ducks are gone, cat was rehomed as I was away a fair bit end of 2020. And my lovely border collie Jade (16yo) dog died in the middle of the Victorian lockdown. Oh, and my leg was amputated just before Xmas. But let’s all agree 2020 was a sh*t year all round for everyone. I have just got a new dog, a Mini Foxy Terrier called Spike. And next week I go into rehab hospital to get a prosthetic leg. So 2021 is looking up already. Apart from the 4 month closure during lockdown Airbnb bookings have been up, I charge more and only get domestic travelers who don’t take 30 minute showers or complain about “bugs” (ie. blow flies)
Anyway nice to be back. I was lurking for a while but I just can’t resist a thread about temperature controls 
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You too. Please see my previous reply.
Oh, James! Words fail. …
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Thanks! I am actually in a surprisingly good place, mentally and physically. It help that Australia is almost Covid free, we haven’t had a death since last October and they have temporary shutdowns if they get so much as a dozen cases in the community from quarantine hotel breakouts. I am more worried for my friends in US, UK and Ireland. I hope you are going okay?
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Although I live in the US and TX (which is isn’t good), I’m well. I’ve been careful meaning masking, distanced, outdoors, etc., when visiting with others. I haven’t been in a bar, restaurant, theater or anything else the state might deem okay. So I’ve given up some things but certainly manageable. I was just in NZ Feb 2020 and returned to the US quite ready for what was ahead.
I’m glad you’ve held steady with the Airbnb rental and life and are gracing us with your wit and intelligence again.
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That is excellent news. It’s so good to hear from you again. 
Glad to hear that! I gave up alcohol entirely at the beginning of 2019 so that helped me get through lockdown I think. Though I know many others took a different approach 
Do you know Mini Foxys like my Spike are only registered in Australia but there is apparently a similar breed in the US called the Toy Fox Terrier. I can’t see it they look like they have a bit of Whippet in them. (I prefer to talk about dogs than Covid, much nicer).
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Yes, I certainly increased my consumption in 2020. But it’s different for everyone.
No doubt. We don’t deserve them. The only Fox Terrier I’ve boarded was what I’d call a medium dog, he was a Wire Fox Terrier. The small ones who are suspected seem to be mixes.
[quote=“JamJerrupSunset, post:30, topic:46291”
US called the Toy Fox Terrier.
[/quote]
My good friend & neighbor has a mix pup. He’s a bit quirky but adorable and LOVES being scratched at the base of his tail. Apparently I am his preferred “butt scratcher”. Glad to see u
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The Mini Foxy was allegedly bred from the Wire Fox Terrier but I’m not convinced. One thing I’ve learned is everyone here but owners thinks all terriers look the same and call them Jack Russells (or JRTs) whereas owners think they are entirely different from each other.
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Chief butt scratcher is a very important and honored role in a dog’s life.
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Glad to see you back, and that you survived the fires, COVID, and all else. Sorry to hear about the leg, and I hope your prosthesis works well. They keep improving them — one student here used a 3D printer to customize one for a child.
When my Doc said in Dec 2019 I was pre-diabetic and I needed to change my diet or I’d be on drugs, I went on a low carb diet and lost 43.5 lbs of my goal of 45, and my blood sugar has been in normal range after the first 30 days.
The bad thing about a low carb diet is I’ve only had 3 pints of beer in the past year! I’ve also cut back on wine, but I still have a dram or 2 of single malt every month. It’s been hard giving up pasta and rice most days.
The good thing is that I can again wear the only bespoke suit I own, and it was tailored for me at 180 lbs. Back in the early 80s you could get a tailored suit made in London for what an off the rack name brand suit cost at Nordstrom. That suit bag in the closet was nagging me for the past 18 years. Now if I only had an occasion where I need to wear it. Funerals are all online now.
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Some remote thermostats are programmed with a feature that allows the owner to lock the temperature and control it from afar. Such as turn it down when vacant, and turn it up when guests are coming,
Since 1980 we have a time clock & relay system on the bedroom heating & cooling. In summer the split system & back-up convection heater operated from 8 pm to 8 am and winter 5 pm to 8 am (warm up the bedrooms before guests return from skiing). There is an override guests can push a button and get 4 hours of heating or cooling outside the time clock hours. A time clock, a few relays and a timer were not expensive and just last year we had to replace the time-clock. Originally set-up the system when we switched from oil heating to electric convection heaters and later when we installed heat pump split systems wired them into the same system. In 1981 we were runners up in the national energy awards for our innovative approach. Never had any guest complaints about our time clock system for the bedrooms in 40 years. The convection heaters have a locked thermostat setting. Unfortunately with the heat pump split systems locking the temperature is to difficult. I do find some guests have set unhealthy high winter bedroom temperatures and unnecessary low summer bedroom temperatures. I adjust the remotes to more appropriate temperatures when I visit the house. Even though some guests are setting wasteful temperatures the heat pump is so much more efficient than the convection heater that we are still saving money. We just accept some higher cost. We are in the process of installing solar panels to further reduce electricity cost and we will extend the time clock hours to align heat pump operation times better with solar generation.
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Just gorgeous! Congrats on Spike.
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Agreed. The primary heat setting is under our control. But, the suite may be cooler in winter than they like (say 68). We provide a high-efficiency mini-split so they may adjust the base temp to their comfort level.
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Like yours, our new stay is high-end (complete renovation), and riverfront. We gutted and insulated it from scratch, foamed every wall cavity and caulked every seam. All high-efficiency doors and windows. So, it is rather well-insulated with little loss, and the cost of supplemental heating is minimal, $1-5 daily (depending on usage and outside temp). We simply factor it into our business model.
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We want happy, comfortable guests. For us, it’s all good unless they leave doors or windows open.
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Yes Jefferson, you are correct. Despite my complaints about energy wasting guests, having happy comfortable guests is my goal. I have to remind myself that they are paying a premium to stay in my house and they deserve to set temp to their liking. Just because I find their choices personally too hot, I have to bite my lip and move on.
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