Can someone explain the heating culture in California? (Los Angeles, Jackson: restaurants, costs)

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Mt. Hamilton will get snow. It's often in the news about how people head up toward the observatory, and get stopped and turned around. You can see the snow on Hamilton from Santa Clara. I love looking at snow - way over there...

I grew up in San Leandro. My relatives lived in Oakland and Concord, and I never saw snow in the East Bay.

I can remember getting new bikes for Christmas and wearing t-shirts while we rode them around. The oranges are ripe in winter in the SF Bay Area. That's not an area that gets snow. But it looks pretty up on the hills when it happens.

I looked on Youtube and I can't even find a video of snow on Mt. Hamilton any earlier than 3 years ago.

The SF Bay Area just doesn't get snow.

Looks like Mt. Hamilton is going to get some snow over the next few days: Mount Hamilton Weather Forecast (1283m)

[sinatras]

Regarding the temp on Dec. 30 in LA, all I know is that when I left the rental car to walk into that Pitchoun bakery at 7:30 a.m., the rental car temp gauge said it was 42 degrees outside.

When I left the hotel in Thousand Oaks 30 minutes before that, there was ice/frost on the car and the car said it was 36 degrees in 1,000 Oaks.

When I drove up into Topanga Canyon the next day at around 7 a.m., the car said it was 29 degrees up there. And yes I went into a cafe in Topanga that was downright bone-chilling.

[sinatras]

I am glad plenty of people here are backing up what I am saying, that Cali people think 50-60 degree temps indoors is perfectly fine. I live in Florida and if the indoor temp inside my house gets below 68 I start shivering. In summer I keep the AC at 74. In winter i keep the heat at 70. So as you can see, I am quite used to living in that ideal 70-74 degree temp range 24/7, which is why when I walked into shops all over California that were freezing inside, I was flabbergasted.

As far as where in SF was I freezing indoors, please show up to B. Patisserie in Pacific Heights at opening time on a 39-degree morning and you tell me whether you think it's freezing in there!

The notion that a bakery would be warmer due to ovens and people certainly did not apply to B Patisserie on the morning of Dec. 29!!!!!!!!!!

[saibot]

Well, this is where people in SoCal clearly differ from those in Florida (and apparently, other places too). The idea that my house should be exactly the same temperature all day and all night, all year round, is just plain bizarre to me. It's supposed to be cooler at night than during the day. It's supposed to be warmer in the summer than the winter. No, I don't want interior temps of 35 degrees or 95 degrees, but right now it's winter and it's 58 in my house, I'm wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, and it feels just fine.

[payutenyodagimas]

I only turn on the heater when im doing chores involving washing/cooking. don't want rolling my sleeves , its a hassle so I just remove my sweater and just turn on the heat. other than those activities, I just wear sweater. heck, my daughter doesn't even seem to feel the cold

[sinatras]

58 DEGREES IN YOUR HOUSE, saibot????

OMFG.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

heck, my daughter doesn't even seem to feel the cold

Yeah, my son (11 years old) is wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I guess we are tough.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sinatras

I am glad plenty of people here are backing up what I am saying, that Cali people think 50-60 degree temps indoors is perfectly fine. I live in Florida and if the indoor temp inside my house gets below 68 I start shivering. In summer I keep the AC at 74. In winter i keep the heat at 70. So as you can see, I am quite used to living in that ideal 70-74 degree temp range 24/7, which is why when I walked into shops all over California that were freezing inside, I was flabbergasted.

As far as where in SF was I freezing indoors, please show up to B. Patisserie in Pacific Heights at opening time on a 39-degree morning and you tell me whether you think it's freezing in there!

The notion that a bakery would be warmer due to ovens and people certainly did not apply to B Patisserie on the morning of Dec. 29!!!!!!!!!!

What "Cali people"? It must be a SoCal thing. Come to think of it, I did have a friend from LA in Berkeley, and her house was always freezing cold in winter. I finally asked her about it, and she said that most homes don't (or didn't, when she was growing up) have central heat, so when she moved to NorCal, she thought the cold winters (the conversation took place during one of those snowfall winters in Berkeley) were just something to be endured, until the spring warm-up came. Her house in Berkeley didn't even have heating. When she had guests, she'd use the kitchen stove and the fireplace to heat the house.

NorCal people do heat their homes, OP. If the businesses are freezing cold, it's because they don't want to spend the money on heat. Pretty dumb. But I suppose a high PG&E bill could break a small business.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by sinatras

I am glad plenty of people here are backing up what I am saying, that Cali people think 50-60 degree temps indoors is perfectly fine. I live in Florida and if the indoor temp inside my house gets below 68 I start shivering. In summer I keep the AC at 74. In winter i keep the heat at 70. So as you can see, I am quite used to living in that ideal 70-74 degree temp range 24/7, which is why when I walked into shops all over California that were freezing inside, I was flabbergasted.

As far as where in SF was I freezing indoors, please show up to B. Patisserie in Pacific Heights at opening time on a 39-degree morning and you tell me whether you think it's freezing in there!

The notion that a bakery would be warmer due to ovens and people certainly did not apply to B Patisserie on the morning of Dec. 29!!!!!!!!!!

It could also be that you're entering these places first thing in the morning (right after they open). I doubt a lot of places leave the heat on all night (or they lower it when they close up) to save on heating costs...so when you enter first thing in the morning, there might not have been enough time to heat up to normal indoor temps (68-72).

Regarding what "normal indoor temps" is in northern CA, I think it's probably on the cooler side than you're used to (68 vs 72). Probably a big factor in that is that temps in SF rarely deviate from the 55-65 range, and people are used to wearing a second layer most times of the year...it's probably very common for people to keep their homes/businesses a bit cooler than average all year long (not just in the winter) because of this.

But what you're describing (in the 50's) is straight up hyperbole (to me), and not normal. I've never experienced what you're talking about in SF or the Bay Area. I grew up and lived in areas of the country that have actual winters, and I don't notice a discernible difference in heating culture. When it's "cold" outside here, and I walk indoors, I notice a big difference.

I know it's illegal for rental units to not have heating, so it's not a common thing for people not to have heaters here (in northern CA).

One last point: you did happen to be walking around SF on probably the coldest day of the entire year. I remember that night, and it was quite cold all over the Bay Area. I would say it's been a bit colder than average lately.


I will say that there is a big difference in A/C culture here, though - much of that having to do with the fact that people don't usually have A/C units. And because it very rarely gets hot enough (in SF, that is) to even need one (the fog is the natural A/C, after all).

[sinatras]

I don't understand how if temps get so low, these homes do not have heating systems.

The temps in South and Central Florida get no colder than 40s and 50s in winter, and yet most homes here have heating systems!!!!!!