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Home heating

13

Replies

  • lauragreenbaum
    lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,015 Member
    I live in Southern Cal so I usually keep the heat off at night. I like it cooler, and it rarely gets below 60 in the house even in the winter. I turn it on to 68 in the morning, but it's typically warm enough outside to turn it off after a few hours.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,585 Member
    in the winter our thermostat is generally set on 72. our house is old though and has crappy insulation, so I doubt its really accurate in most places in the house. on sunny days, I turn the tstat down, because the sun heats the house. on cloudy rain days, I do not, and often turn on an oil filled space heater if I'm particularly chilly lol

  • siberiantarragon
    siberiantarragon Posts: 75 Member
    edited January 2021
    For heat: 70 in the living room. We don't turn on the heater in the bedroom because the noise disrupts our sleep, so the bedroom is a bit cooler. I might turn it up to 75 for a while after coming in from a really cold day. However, our apartment is built in such a way that it doesn't get that cold even if the heat is off.

    For A/C: Usually around 68-70. If it's very hot outside and we just came in from outdoors, I might turn it down to 65 or lower for an hour or so, and sit in front of it to cool off. We just moved into this apartment so I'm not sure how cool it will stay in the summer with the A/C off, but judging by the heat situation, it probably won't get that hot. We also have curtains that help with temperature regulation.

    Also for reference I live in the northeast US, so winters are usually in the 20-45 degree range, and summers are usually in the 80-95 degree range and very humid.
  • swimmchick87
    swimmchick87 Posts: 450 Member
    Mine is set to 70 in the winter. I turn it down to 65 for sleeping. I couldn't figure out why my bill was much higher this month; and then it hit me- I've been working from home. Typically, I didn't turn the thermostat back up to 70 until I got home from work at night. Now it's on all day long.

    In the summer it's more like 76-78. One, I run cold, so I don't like it turned down too far anyway. And if I'm doing something like just sitting around watching TV or reading, I'll just sit with a fan on me rather than turning the AC to a lower temp. I'll only turn it down if it's uncomfortably hot and I'm up/moving around and not sitting in one spot.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,220 Member
    68 in the winter and 78 in the summer. We have a space heater in the bathroom so we don't freeze in the winter after bathing. With the house at 68 in the winter, I am still wearing shorts and sandles...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 25,279 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Yeah, I recently set a new programmable thermostat and it had a "when you leave" daily function, and I was "weird concept." ;-)

    We both worked from home for long before last year and would get annoying messages on our electric company statements saying that our use was higher than our neighbors...
  • bsteves06
    bsteves06 Posts: 65 Member
    23 degrees Celsius year round. Canada.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,764 Member
    73-75. I hate the cold. I live in Southern California but somewhat inland so in the winters it can get as low as high 30s on occasion. I could never live somewhere colder.
  • pridesabtch
    pridesabtch Posts: 1,189 Member
    In the summer we are at 71F, in the winter 68F.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,253 Member
    Summer, generally 74 to 76 F, sometimes 72-73 at night (or just turn off the AC and open the windows if it's nice).

    Winter, generally 65 to 68F.

    It's weird that what feels too warm inside in the winter feels too cold inside in the summer, but there you are.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    My house has two floors, so temp control can be complicated. I live in northern CA near the Sacramento River delta, and the summers get HOT, mostly in the mid-high 90's, and a number of several-day spikes of 105-110+ (the heat waves have gotten more frequent over the years). Winter is somewhat moderate, average highs around 50 during the day with colder nights.

    We set the temps so that during the day the upstairs unit is off (all bedrooms are upstairs), and downstairs is set to 78 in the summer and 72 in the winter. Upstairs at night is 74 in the summer and 68 in the winter, with the downstairs unit off. I would be fine going lower and wearing warmer clothes but I have arthritis in my hands and if it gets too cold they become stiffer and achier than they already are.

    We have a big overhead fan downstairs and one in our bedroom, somehow it feels cooler at the same temperature if the air is moving, and it's cheaper to run the fans than use the A/C.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 25,279 Member
    Next month, we are selling our house and moving in with my mom and brother. I don't think she'll be able to get her driver's license renewed in November and my brother can't drive. The house was built in 1769 and the HVAC system is a real mishmash.

    I'm going to be on the same heating zone as my brother. The thermostat is in his room. This is a bummer, as I like it MUCH colder at night than he does. (I basically don't want the heat on at all when I sleep - heat from the day and downstairs, plus piles of blankets, is plenty for me.)

    I'm working with our heating contractor to find a solution. Our previous idea was to box off the heating unit in my room so it won't throw much heat. However, the system clanks, and I don't want to deal with that either.

    My mom's room has never had heat, nor has the room that is going to be my partner's. We put a new boiler down in the root cellar for him, and Mom has asked the contractor about extending it up to her room. I've asked the contractor about further extending it to my brother's room, so I can have it as cold as I like.

    (My partner and I have very different sleep habits; hence the separate bedrooms.)
  • Legs_McGee23
    Legs_McGee23 Posts: 113 Member
    I like to be warm - very very warm. When I lived alone I kept my apartment in the 80s. (I also don't like to wear a lot of clothes and prefer to walk around the house in a tank top and shorts). (**This summer the AC broke down in our office and it got up to 88. When the HVAC repair guy showed up I jokingly told him he could leave because I was finally warm enough to take my sweater off.) My BF moved in with me a year ago and he's the exact opposite - he's always hot. So now it's usually him in a t-shirt and shorts while I'm sitting next to him in a sweater, sock slippers, and a blanket wrapped around me.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 2,966 Member
    Getting close to Winter again. If you haven't insulated your home, this would be the year to do it. Natural Gas costs are supposed to double this year. If you normally had a $200 bill, expect a $400 bill.

    Look at adding a programmable thermostat, electric space heaters (electric might be cheaper than natural gas this year) and additional insulation. If you have drafty windows, there is window film you can use.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 25,279 Member
    MikePfirrman wrote: »
    Getting close to Winter again. If you haven't insulated your home, this would be the year to do it. Natural Gas costs are supposed to double this year. If you normally had a $200 bill, expect a $400 bill.

    Look at adding a programmable thermostat, electric space heaters (electric might be cheaper than natural gas this year) and additional insulation. If you have drafty windows, there is window film you can use.

    In Massachusetts, and perhaps other states, homeowners can get an energy audit for free. They will also give you lots of free stuff, like a programmable thermostat, energy efficient light bulbs, etc., etc.

    https://www.masssave.com/en/saving/energy-assessments/homeowners

    ...Your custom home energy report will include all applicable rebates and incentives such as:
    • No-cost targeted air sealing of leaks in drafty areas of your home
    • An instant incentive for 75% off approved insulation improvements or based on your income, you may be eligible for an enhanced instant incentive for 100% off
    • Generous rebates of up to $2,750 on qualifying energy-efficient heating, cooling, and water heating equipment
    • The opportunity to apply for 0% HEAT Loan financing for eligible upgrades
  • goldenxbeauty
    goldenxbeauty Posts: 123 Member
    Sometimes its 26C.
    Sometimes its 12C.

    We heat with only a woodstove so...
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,193 Member
    Nice idea that electricity might be a cheaper option this year. Much of the UK's electricity production comes from natural gas, prices here have already risen, talk of 4 or 5 times since the spring. We've had small electricity companies fail, there is a system where their customers are transferred to other providers but it will be at a higher price than the tariffs they were on. We do have increasing renewables feeding into the system but in the last couple of months solar and wind have not been as good as in previous years generally that is.

    Its best to take all the insulation options open to you, even if its bolster up your curtains to be thicker for the winter.

    Hope its not as bad as has been suggested.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,224 Member
    MikePfirrman wrote: »
    Getting close to Winter again. If you haven't insulated your home, this would be the year to do it. Natural Gas costs are supposed to double this year. If you normally had a $200 bill, expect a $400 bill.

    Look at adding a programmable thermostat, electric space heaters (electric might be cheaper than natural gas this year) and additional insulation. If you have drafty windows, there is window film you can use.

    All good ideas, but with supply chain and labor issues good luck finding materials and/or someone to install if can't do it yourself.

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