Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

Home heating

lokihen
lokihen Posts: 382 Member
in Debate Club
If showering can be a hot topic, this should work for discussion. How warm do you keep your home in winter?

Growing up ours was always toasty; I remember being shocked going to babysit at a house where it was kept much cooler. Now, as an older woman with hot flashes, I love being able to keep the house as cool as I want. I haven't even turned on the furnace yet; relying on the wood stove for warmth. Indoor temps range from high 50s to mid 60s. Last night the fire burned out and it was 56 F when I got up. My parents like mid to upper 70s so I wear short sleeves and go barefoot in their home (we are a coronavirus bubble).

I find it interesting how adaptable humans are. Those kids I babysat were perfectly comfortable in their cool home because that was normal for them. Some of it is mental for me; if it's cloudy and damp or I can hear the wind, I feel colder even inside.
«1345

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,090 Member
    Our thermostat is always set at 20°C (68°F), that's for the living spaces. That's usually enough, but I have a fleece sweater and blanket for when I feel cold (usually when I'm sitting still for a longer time).
    For the bedroom it's 18°C (64°F). For the bathroom a bit higher than the living room, for comfort when undressing.
    When we want to 'feel toasty' in the winter, we'll light the wood stove in the living room.

    When I go to my parents, I'm always freezing. They have their thermostat at 18°C (64°F) and I always need an extra sweater. My mom is always hot, ever since menopause, so the thermostat is set for her needs :tongue: it doesn't help that their house is really draughty.

    Maybe it's partly psychological (whole number), but the round number 20°C is the general consensus here as middle ground between comfort and not wasting too much energy. Aside from my parents, I don't know anyone who sets their thermostat lower, but I do know some that set it higher.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,365 Member
    I have the thermostat programmed to 19 C (66 F) when I'm home/awake and 16 C (61 F) while at work and at night. Supposedly a cooler room temp results in better sleep but that theory hasn't panned out for me so far. If I get chilly I put on a fleece sweater.

    I work out in the basement which is cooler yet and still need to run a fan sometimes to cool off.
  • stewykins43_
    stewykins43_ Posts: 58 Member
    I live in the southeastern US (TN). 100% humidity most of the year and hot-hot-hot from April through October. We usually wait until nighttime lows hit 30F to turn on the heat, and we set it between 65F-69F depending on those aforementioned psychological factors. Warmer end when it's raining or sleeting (typically late January). Our area hardly ever gets snow and winters are pretty mild, so we mostly rely on throw blankets or warm clothing. If we get freezing rain or sleet we'll light a fire for a little extra warmth in the living areas.

    On the other hand, cooling our home in the summer is very expensive. Our A/C units can only go about 20F cooler than the outside temps, so it's frequently set to 85F. :D
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,935 Member
    In Winter (gets below freezing regularly here), I generally keep my thermostat set at 63F (17C). If I'm sitting for a long time, I throw a blanket over my legs, and I normally wear a long-sleeved sweatshirt or similar. Once in a while, if it feels cold/damp, I might increase the temp to 65 for a short time.

    In summer, I don't always have the AC on, but will turn it on if we have extended warm, sunny periods that include hot nights. (Opening windows cools the house well if it's cool at night, and the house is well insulated, so only starts to get very warm with late afternoon sun.) I don't sleep well if it's too hot in here. When the AC's on, it's usually set somewhere in the mid70s F (22-24C-ish) maybe.

    In general, I find myself happier if I keep the thermostat a bit cooler in Winter and warmer in summer - the transition to outdoor weather seems less extreme/more tolerable, and I feel more comfortable overall.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    We set the AC to 77F and the heater to 70. I prefer the heater a little lower, because you can add layers(and I workout and get hot), but hubby is always cold(???) When it's really hot out, I'll set the bedroom AC to 76 when I go to bed.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,481 Member
    Wear more clothing. My thermostat is set at 68. But while it can just get cold here, it's nothing like the north. I walk outside every morning at 5 am and it hasn't gotten under 34 degrees yet.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,135 Member
    Summer: AC between between 77 and 78. With outside temperatures above 110 and sometimes at 120, it is good enough. We have two units because it is a big house, so I can control the temp depending where we are at the time and we always have the ceiling fans on.

    Fall/ Winter: not much heat needed so far. It gets cooler early in the morning (and living in the CA desert we are like lizards) so the heater goes up for a couple of hours (to reach between 73 and 74F). It is off mid day, and sometimes in the afternoon I have to put the ceiling fans again, and the water cooler for a couple of hours. It was 79F today and going to low 80s for a couple of days. It is wonderful to walk outside!!! B)
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    Depends on if my husband is home or not.

    In the winter, I'll set the heat at 66 for just me, 68 if he's home.
    In the summer, the AC is set at 77 for just me, 73-75 if he's home.

    Both are adjusted by a few degrees at night or when we're not home.

    The summer electric bills were REALLY high this year, since we were both working from home all the time.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Our thermostat is set to 67...but we have radiant heat so even when the furnace shuts off, it continues to heat as it takes the water awhile to cool down...so the house is around 73-75 by mid day usually.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited November 2020
    When I was in Ohio, it was 68 in the Winter and 72 in the Summer. Now that I'm in AZ, it's 77 in the Summer (you do get used to it) with the exception at night, when we set it to 75.

    In the Winter, I hardly use heat. Maybe once or twice a year. When it gets below 65, which is seldom, as it warms up during the day and slowly cools at night. Our utility bills are higher in the Summer and almost non-existent in the Winter.
  • stewykins43_
    stewykins43_ Posts: 58 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Two apartments ago, the first month I started wearing these Sorel Men's Manawan Slippers with wool socks over cotton socks I was able to save $50 / month on my heating bill.

    Yes! Socks, slippers, and indoor footwear in general make SUCH a huge difference! I grew up in a house with tile floors throughout and my feet/body were always freezing. I'd beg my parents to turn on the heat and they'd tell me to "go put on your house shoes." Teenaged me thought slippers were for old people though, so I'd just suffer until I came to my senses in my 20's. :D

    Now I have a 5yo that runs hot and begs me for more A/C, so I guess that's karma for ya. Lol
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,214 Member
    We have an all=electric HVAC system so it's far most costly to heat than to cool. Our current set points are 65F during the day and 60F overnight for heating and 68F day and 62F overnight for AC. Were I single both numbers for heating would likely be lower but that's about as low as the Mrs. will tolerate. The cats aren't particularly fans but it prompts them to be a little extra cuddly in the winter, which is nice.

    As for you house shoes people, I can't stand wearing socks, shoes or slippers in my house. Unless I'm working out in the basement, footwear is for outside only.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
    Thank you all for an interesting read. I'm in the UK, down south, we have our thermostat set to 18.5c in the day time and 20 if we are not moving about much as in the evening over night it goes off. As an aside to this heating question. I have medicated thyroid endocrine issues, and find life so much better/easier/comfortable when the ambient temperature is 19 or more through the summer, used to be 20c, I'm doing better on the supplements. The arrival of autumn hits me hard. Is it possible how well or not ones body works can be a subtext to needing more or less heat. So far I'm concluding, I'm soft.

    I agree with a poster above on those dull grey and wet days it feels colder.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,321 Member
    18c during the day and below 16c at night if I can. I grew up in a house without central heating so I’m used to just throwing layers on and hugging a hot water bottle 😀 what’s killing me at the moment is working out outside in the cold damp evenings as the gyms are shut. Can’t really wear gloves in my sport and the skin on my hands is splitting.
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 429 Member
    19C for wake up, then it goes off completely at 8am. Boosts back up to 18 C for an hour at lunch, then off (15C) again for a few hours. When the kids come home after school back on at 18C then up to 19C at bedtime. Down to 17 C around 10pm. I'd switch it off completely at night if we didn't have little ones! We're lucky as the house is never cold (unlike many places I've lived). Though in the summer we struggle to stay cool.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,454 Member
    When the HVAC is on it's set to 74 degrees winter and summer. I generally wear shorts and t-shirt in the house, my wife had different ideas in the winter.

Categories