Packin' Heat.

One Friday, the girl who sits in front of me at work pointed out that I brought a rather large overnight bag with me for my trip to Philadelphia.

“Are you only staying the weekend?” she asked. “Because it looks like you have a lot of stuff!”

Of course I didn’t tell her this, but the reason why I had so much stuff was because I had actually packed a space heater in my duffle bag.

And there’s a very simple explanation as to why I did that: my boyfriend asked me to.

He and his two roommates had entered into some sort of pact that winter and decided not to use the main heating system in the house. It was November in Pennsylvania and naturally, I was unhappy with this arrangement.

“Can’t you just turn the heat on?”

“NO!” he insisted. “We’re not turning the heat on this winter.”

“Why not?”

“We’re living off the grid,” he told me.

(For the record, this also happens to be the reason he and his roommates don’t own a microwave. I still can’t tell if he’s joking).

“Well can’t you just turn the heat on when I’m there?” I asked.

“Off the grid!” he repeated. “But you can bring your own heater if you want.”

And so that's the story of how I came to transport an electric space heater across state lines.

I’m sure that sounds absolutely insane, but consider this: according to Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems' first annual Comfort Survey, “81 percent of respondents typically aren't always comfortable with the temperature indoors during winter.” Perhaps what’s more alarming is that I suspect a vast majority of those people are actually using their heating systems.

“When the weather outside is frightful this winter, many people may not find the environment indoors to be delightful,” reads the release. “By surveying more than 1,400 people online, Bryant explored the fine line people walk when attempting to manage their comfort.”

I can vouch for that "fine line." It literally runs all the way from New York City to Philadelphia.