I know this is a topic that got touched already here and there, but what is the temperature you keep at home during wintertime?
I used to keep 20 C (68 F) during day and 16 C (61 F) at night, of course only when I'm home.
But now I'm thinking ERE, plus I read that keeping a lower temperature helps burning fat
I'm aiming to 18 C (64.4 F) during day and 15 C (57 F) at night.
Thanks!
It's a little hard to compare myself to others as I live in SW Florida. But I aim for keeping the A/C around 83 degrees day and night in the summer and keeping it at 70 degrees day and night in the winter. Leads to pretty reasonable costs.
We've kept the apartment here in Iowa about 59-63F most of the winter, though sometimes we'll run the furnace extra in the morning while we're getting ready for work.
It's 60 as I type this. I turn it up to 65 if I'm going to be hanging around all day on the weekend or something. I just wear heavy fleece sweats and wool slippers.
When I lived in a house and paid my own bills, I set the heat for 55 in the winter and didn't use the a/c in the summer unless I had guests over (avg temp in the 90s and humid since I lived in Atlanta). Now that I live in an apartment with all utilities included in the rent, I don't worry about it so the temp is 70 right now.
Edit: DH and I both worked at home full-time with these temperatures. I got the crazy look for this, but you get used to it really quickly.
It would also be helpful to know how much you are saving by turning the heat down. At some point, there are diminishing returns. I live in a well insulated house in nocal with a newish gas heater. I found that it didn't save much to go into the "must wear a jacket" zone (although I certainly keep it below the "can weat shorts" zone)
We're really bad about the temperature during winter back home - the thermostat is either set to around 68F or so, or we keep the thermostat set lower and turn on the gas logs, which warms up the living room. Ask me this same question two years ago, and I would've replied a comfy 74F, so we're making some progress. During the summer, however, we typically set the air conditioner to activate once the house warms beyond anywhere between 80F and 84F; needless to say, I love our warm summers.
Here at University, the thermostat is typically set to 73F year-round - the unit itself, however, is typically turned off; as of right now, however, our heating/AC unit is non-operational, but temperatures reached a low of around 68F, perhaps a bit lower, yesterday. Aside from one chilly afternoon, I believe I'll keep the unit off unless absolutely necessary from now on.
This is our first winter on our path to ER so it's been an interesting experience. We've had it set at 60-63 most of the winter except when company came over. If we are going to be in one room for a while, we will bring the space heater in and bring that one room out of the "cold fingers zone". I've found that I really don't mind wearing a sweater around the house but the tile floors are really difficult when I get up in the morning or after getting out of the shower.
During the heating season we keep it at 68 during the day, 60 at night. It would be nice to go cooler, but I'd have a mutiny on my hands.
Fortunately(?), cooling isn't much of a problem in this area. In the three or so weeks it gets really warm we might run the AC a bit in the evening, to get the humidity down.
I recently discovered the magic of slippers. I suggest buying yourself a nice cheap and comfy pair. Wear them around the house and you'll never be bothered by cold tiles again
In the winter, we set at 16C (61F) during the day at 14-15C (57-59F) at night.
In the summer, we just adjust doors/windows/curtains as best we can to keep the temperature down (no AC).
JeremyS
In the winter, we keep the bedrooms at 72, and the rest of the house fluctuates between 50-60 degrees, depending on the temperature outside. We refer to the act of opening the bedroom door as "going outside".
In the summer, we keep the living room at whatever temperature the small AC decides to put it at, and the rest of the house fluctuates with the temperature outside.
I set at 60 in the winter, and 74 in the summer.
However, my past two residences have been pretty large by my standards (1150sf and 1700sf). I find that the thermostat doesn't really accurately measure temperature in the various locations I actually spend most of my time in-- desk, couch, bed, etc. So I have four small digital thermometers stationed around the house in these areas. It doesn't really help with the electric bill, but it allows me to feel a bit more scientific when I declare "It's cold in here."
Below 64, I find typing to be annoying due to the cold fingers, so that often prompts me to bump things up.
This winter and last I have kept it at 57 or so most of the time (asleep, at work, staying in one room) and if am home for multiple days and moving about the house I push it up to 62 or so. However when I get home from work I run a electric radiator room heater in my room to get it up to about 68 in that one room.
