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What's the ideal temperature of a home?

By October 29, 2008 - 1:50pm
 
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Is there a general concensus about what the temperature of a house should be? I know that advice has been given about having a home too warm or too cold but am not sure what a healthy temperature is.

I like a very warm house in winter but don't like the attached bills!

We keep our programmable thermostat at 68 degrees F. We have kids but we're all healthy with no special needs. Honestly, I'd like it higher but I want to save on energy costs, be a bit more envioronmentally conscious and 68 degrees works well, as our house is newer and very well insulated.

Any opinions?

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I am a 70 degree person myself yet I still find myself sleeping in two layers of clothing. My tteth will chatter if anything less and sweat if anything more so I guess 70 is my comfortable temperature.

Missie

April 2, 2011 - 8:47am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

In all airplanes the preset temperature is 75F or 24C and people feel very comfortable with this setting

April 1, 2011 - 12:47pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Wow, these all seem a little high to me. The living room where I am currently sitting is a little chilly at 62 degrees, but I keep a blanket on the couch just for this reason. We have a programmable thermostat and we keep the daytime temp at 62, evening goes up to 66, at nighttime down to 60 and 68 is our splurge in the morning. (If it's not warm enough, I don't want to get out of bed.) I don't actually like the cold, but I'm just too darn cheap to put the heat up any more than that. We are looking to buy a little electric radiator to heat just the living room, since we spend the most time there and then we can keep the rest of the house a little cooler.

February 2, 2011 - 9:02am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I own a programmable thermostat and it's set the following way: when we wake up at 7am the temperature is set at 68 and when we leave home at 7:50 the temp. is set to 66, at 5pm the temp. goes back up to 68 until 11pm, when is set to 66. My wife and two daughters always complaint the house is cold, but it's not for me, women tend to be a little cooler than men. I told them to wear warm clothes, since I'm in charge of all payments and expenses. I even bought one of those windows kits and put plastic to all windows.

December 17, 2010 - 7:02am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Personally, I prefer a cool temperature. 65 is pretty much my ideal. That said, my wife and eldest son insist on keeping the thermostat at about 80 during the winter (and the AC set to maximum during the summer because anything over 70 is too hot for them). During the fall they have been known to do both at the same time. I could live with 68 (but be sweltering).

In the long run, I think the cooler temperature is healthier and easier to adjust to. If you really think about it, it is always easier to throw on another layer of clothing if you're cold, but you can only remove so much.

November 1, 2010 - 5:32pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I have an old house,i keep the theromstat at 65 degrees,it is switched off at 10.00pm.
I prefer a cooler temperature,i think it is more healthier,also, if i feel cool,i hoover,that warms me up.
I can't bear a warm bedroom.It is only me and my husband,and a very furry dog.
It is personal choice i guess.
PS,my mothers house is 85 degree,s! phew,it's horrible,

March 19, 2009 - 3:43am

I will try the 68 degrees. At night, I've tried 69, 70 and 71 degrees, and for me, 70 degrees seems to be perfect. My toddler will not keep any blankets on him at night (I don't think they do until they are closer to 4 years), so I'm worried about him getting too cold.

After reading everyone's comments, I am more motivated to find a blanket sleeper for my son to wear at night, so we can keep the bills lower and set the temp. to 68 degrees. I do like sleeping when it's colder!

October 30, 2008 - 12:56pm

Bargain lover, with a programmable thermostat, you could always program it to go a few degrees lower in the night -- maybe just 2 to 4 degrees -- and to warm up before everyone gets out of bed. Programmable thermostats save you money and save energy as well.

I agree that "comfort" and "ideal temperature" are two different things. But I do know that the United States STAR program -- the one that monitors products and how much energy they use -- estimates that setting the thermostat lower by one degree -- just one -- can save from $15 to $40 over the course of a season. Those 4 degrees between 68 and 72 are saving you $60 to $240! Not to mention the environmental savings.

We also set ours at 68. I'd probably prefer 72 but I'm getting used to sweats and thick socks, lol.

October 30, 2008 - 8:22am

Years ago, I remember reading something about setting your thermostat to X degrees in order to conserve energy and still maintain a comfortable temperature in the house. Well, I think "ideal" and "comfortable" mean different things to different people, and in different climates. For example, where I live, "ideal" and "comfortable" may mean keeping the internal humidity level as low as possible, which means running the A/C to keep circulating cooler, drier air.

Also, there is the energy conservation consideration. What temperature are you willing to tolerate for the sake of energy conservation? Plus, is that temperature healthy or optimal for your children?

What if your home is not so new? While it's easy to suggest having the central air/heating system and A/C unit replaced, that's an expensive venture. We've recently had both replaced in our home, and we've followed our insurance adjuster's sound advice on insulation and venting under the eaves for optimum air circulation.

As for the utility bills - I hear you there! We switched providers on the basis of proposed lower electric rates; but, after a little over a year, we've only seen rates increase. There really isn't anything we can do about that.

How to Conserve Energy at Home

October 29, 2008 - 6:55pm
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