Californian roommate insists on keeping the AC at 65ºF despite her 5 housemates freezing every single night: ‘She claims it affects her bodily autonomy'

Author image for Cata Holmes
Cata Holmes • Writer
Aug 28, 2026 8:30 AM EDT

When five people are reaching for thick pajamas and extra blankets during summer, finding a comfortable compromise with the AC can become a challenge. 

I totally understand that the heat can become unbearable. By the end of August, we are tired of it and want to find a solution to it as soon as possible. But no matter our best efforts, the heat is not going anywhere just yet, so we have to wait. And that's it. Now, having a whole discussion with your roommates about the AC during these last weeks of heat… it doesn't make any sense to me.

According to the story shared in r/badroommates, this roommate cannot cope with the heat and the sun anymore and decided to set the temperature of the AC below the 65ºF every single day and every single night. She says this affects her "bodily autonomy," left no room for hesitation or discussion, and claimed the AC was going to be set like this.

But… the other girls are freezing every night. They even had to take out their winter pajamas and thick blankets because they are very cold.

This is not the only problem. The other girl told this woman to get a fan and put it in her room so they can set the AC to a better temperature, but she says the fan is expensive and she cannot afford it… Yet the power bill has gone up like crazy after adjusting the AC. Man, it's a very complicated situation, and the woman doesn't seem like she wants to cooperate and find a solution.

The good thing is that we're almost at the end of summer, so there's not too much time left. I do think, though, that they will need to find a new solution for next year. Having to use a thick pyjama and big blankets during a heatwave is not normal, and the body can suffer a lot because of this. But I guess the other girl likes it like this…

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  • Woman relaxing on a couch beneath an air conditioner on a hot summer day.
    via Unsplash+ (via Getty Images)

    Woman relaxing on a couch beneath an air conditioner on a hot summer day.

    Licensed media provided as editorial context.

  • To preface this my roommates and I live in SoCal so it is warm during the summer. I have 5 roommates... almost each one of us likes the ac around 70-72 degrees day or night.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • One of my roommates hates the heat. She claims it affects her "bodily autonomy." Though I understand this my roommate and I have been freezing every night because she likes to keep it at 65°. We sat down
    via ccoolbeanss
  • and talked to her about this, and she was really upset and felt like we were threatening her bodily autonomy and that she shouldn't have to wake up with greasy hair because she is sweating.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • She said that we should just wear clothes while we're sleeping and keep our window open. All of us wear thick pajamas while sleeping and keep our windows open yet the air is still freezing. We told her to
    via ccoolbeanss
  • potentially get a fan. She says she had a fan, but she threw it away. She says she doesn't wanna spend any money on a fan because she "doesn't
    via ccoolbeanss
  • have any money" yet? She doesn't have a problem cranking down the AC that makes the AC bill super expensive.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • We all have talked to her and she keeps complaining when we keep the AC at 70° and she refuses to buy any kind of fan or cooling mattress. What would you do in this situation? If she's really unhappy, she can gladly move out, but I don't think she'll do
    via ccoolbeanss
  • that and I really like her as a person. I just find it a bit frustrating that everyone likes the AC at a certain temperature and we're trying to all compromise she just won't budge.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • We even tried putting it at 69° and that still wasn't good enough for her.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • Also, her room is around 65 and gets the coldest so when it's 70 for us so she wants it to feel 60 in her room
    via ccoolbeanss
  • AC thermostat set to a low temperature as roommates disagree over how cold to keep their shared home.
    via Unsplash+ (via Dan LeFebvre)

    AC thermostat set to a low temperature as roommates disagree over how cold to keep their shared home.

    Stock photo unrelated.

  • Ae3qe27u Put plainly, she's outvoted, and it seems like she isn't willing to take actions to adjust her own sleeping conditions. It's worth asking if maybe her room is warmer than other people's rooms, as that could affect things, but 65° in the summer is ridiculous.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • GodsHumbleClown What about the bodily autonomy of FIVE OTHER PEOPLE? I say this as someone who likes it cold when I sleep, it's not fair of her to expect everyone else in the house to be uncomfortable for her. I prefer the temps she prefers but when I lived with my folks I put up with it being warm because they're older and get cold easily.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • girlwhoweighted She could afford a fan of she weren't paying so much for ac
    via ccoolbeanss
  • Kluian2005 Is she slow? Does she not realize the billing difference between 70 and 65? Tell her to buy a fan and it will save her money.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • SadInformation2108 Personally, no factual evidence here, but for me I've noticed that when I use to run my ac below 70, I would have a harder time adjusting to the weather outside and it made me sweat more. I'm now adjusted to 71 degrees inside all day. Maybe even 72 depending how hot it is outside. I'm in Cali so it's been near 100s but I'm comfortable and don't sweat as much anymore. Maybe she needs to regulate her body temp.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • DrWastedTime23 Ever seen survivor? She's been voted out. If she doesn't have money to afford a fan maybe it's time for her to find a new place to live before you're paying her portion of the rent as well as freezing to the bone for 1 person. Genuine question: why is it always the one person that provides nothing to the space that is the most problematic?
    via ccoolbeanss
  • Zestyclose-Shower164 I think that she should get a window unit so she can keep her room colder, as well as pay the extra electricity cost because 65 is really cold compared to 70 and costs a lot of money!
    via ccoolbeanss
  • New_Permission_817 If its humid in your area, a dehumidifier would help her perception of the heat.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • Familiar Ad8524 I prefer 60 degrees myself. Normally, I'd agree with her about you being able to wear pajamas. However, she is merely one in five- this is a drastic ratio. She can have a fan- this was my reaction before you mentioned one. You lot also can partially close your vents while she keeps hers wide open.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • norahbell You could not pay me to live in a house with five other people and one thermostat, there's just no feasible way everyone agrees all the time. As someone who likes it at 65 or less, I definitely agree with her on that, but I've also lived with lizard people who like it at 75-80. And the solution is everyone controls their own room temp, which is easy enough in the northeast where window units are standard for apartments.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • frogieroo Ask her if she's sleeping with polyester bedding. If she invests in linen or cotton it will be a lot breezier, and nobody is stopping her from using a fan in her bedroom, they even have ones that go under blankets on your bed now.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • TulpaPal That not what bodily autonomy means.
    via ccoolbeanss
  • Roommates gathered in a shared living room, talking about the heat and what to do with the AC.
    via Unsplash+ (via HiveBoxx)

    Roommates gathered in a shared living room, talking about the heat and what to do with the AC.

    Models pictured are not representative.

  • Intrepid-Caramel3565 Wow. I live in South Florida and I'm at 78 day and 76 night. 72 is unholy cold to me
    via ccoolbeanss

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bad roommates heatwave ac air conditioning
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