House Temperature

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Hi,

I've recently become interested in "house temperature" from a conversation at work, plus I have smart heating conrols (all but one radiator also use a Smart TRV) which consistently tells me my house is cold and humid.

Doing some research, most articles agree on 18-21/22degrees (especially overnight during sleep). This is simply far too warm for us. I woke up this morning at 13.4degrees and was slightly uncomfortable on the warm side, always sleep in just boxers 365 days (so I have the window quarter open which dropped the room temperature to 12.5degrees as of right now). If I had my heating set to come on below 18degrees it would be on all night for one thing, and be even more uncomfortable. It'd also continually be battling with smart heating "open window feature"

As far as schedule goes, this is what I have mine set to;

00:00-08:00 = 10.0
08:00-22:00 = 14.0
22:00-00:00 = 10.0

One exception is bathroom, which has 2 extra blocks, and only really to warm up towels;

07:30-08:30 = 22.0
16:30-17:30 = 22.0

And we just boost it when we do feel a chill.

So interested to see what others are doing.
 
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I don't like it too hot, and luckily nor does the wife. Equally neither of us want the house cold.

We set ours at 16.

On in the morning an hour before we get up and on in the evening. Nothing in the day time, except weekends when it's on early afternoon for 2 hours

I keep getting told it's more economical to keep the heating on continuous, but morning and evening suits us.
 
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This is simply far too warm for us. I woke up this morning at 13.4degrees and was slightly uncomfortable on the warm side, always sleep in just boxers 365 days (so I have the window quarter open which dropped the room temperature to 12.5degrees as of right now). If I had my heating set to come on below 18degrees it would be on all night for one thing, and be even more uncomfortable. It'd also continually be battling with smart heating "open window feature"
We're similar. Only because our heating system is crap, the place is gradually being overhauled.

We used to keep our old house at around 20 and felt cold below that. Nowadays it's anywhere from 14-18 and we're fine. If we visit our parents we feel like we're suffocating. You get used to what you're used to. I'm pretty sure it's healthier being cooler - for starters you'll burn more calories which is a good thing for most. Getting used to being colder takes some toughness, but you're fine when you get there. In our case we didn't have a choice.

Also wearing adequate clothing is important. This time of the year I'll have 3 layers on top - t-shirt, polo shirt and decent jumper. Some people seem to think they should be able to wear shorts and t-shirts in the depths of winter and heat accordingly. Seems pretty daft to me, jumpers are much cheaper than the amount of fuel needed to not wear one.

The other advantage of keeping a cooler house is that the oldie relatives don't visit in the winter. Win-win!
 
I can understand that many can't afford to keep their house toasty to the point of tee shirts and shorts, but just piling on layers for the sake of running your heating on below minimum is daft, imho.
You're meant to live, not just exist.
You don't understand. There's no suffering involved. You feel absolutely fine at a lower temperature, you just need perhaps another one layer. Also feeling cold seems to be partly training. You feel cold below what you're used to, if you get used to a lower temperature you genuinely do not feel it - it's not a matter of grinning and bearing it, you're simply not cold.

"Below minimum" - what do you define as minimum? It's a personal choice, anywhere from 15 to 25 degC, and most people are comfortable at whatever they're used to, there isn't a specific temperature that everyone is happy at. When I visit relatives I'm usually unbearably hot and want to escape, it's definitely not a welcome treat.

It's well worth attempting to re-train yourself, perhaps reducing by 1 degC every couple of weeks would be difficult to notice for most. Obviously there's a llimit somewhere but it's definitely down to training.
 
it really depends where the thermostat is.. Lots of people have it in the hallway where it is coldest with minimal radiators. So 15-16 degrees probably puts the habitat at 19-20 degrees.

If you have a nice duvet and another human next to you, then you probably don't need your heating on over night, unless it's -10 outside. If you consistently have your heating around 15-16 degrees you are probably going to start getting mould etc.
 
I can understand that many can't afford to keep their house toasty to the point of tee shirts and shorts, but just piling on layers for the sake of running your heating on below minimum is daft, imho.
You're meant to live, not just exist.

Exactly. Some family members live like misers while having riches stashed in their bank accounts. (Note: these are the relatives worth keeping on the good side of ;) ). I put another layer on in winter and keep the house heated to a comfortable level. Not going to wander round my own place wrapped up like a rough sleeper, no matter how high the gas prices go. There's no pockets in shrouds.
 
I've never liked it overly warm and have the advantage of living alone so don't have a partner/kids that might be the exact opposite. I have the heating off altogether overnight and yes, the house gets COLD during those hours at this time of year. I sleep naked (TMI I know) and phase 1 of my keep warm strategy is to put socks on if needed. Phase 2 is to put a t-shirt on. That's as clothed as I get in bed.

I've been keeping my heating off during the day (WFH) and posted another thread on this. I have however started putting in on 11.30 - 13.00 to take the chill off if need be. Then it goes on around 17.30 until 00.00. I like the temp to be around 18.5, however when my lounge reaches this temp, the 'back of the house' (hall, bedrooms) can still be a fair bit colder, however this doesn't bother me.
 
You don't understand. There's no suffering involved. You feel absolutely fine at a lower temperature, you just need perhaps another one layer. Also feeling cold seems to be partly training. You feel cold below what you're used to, if you get used to a lower temperature you genuinely do not feel it - it's not a matter of grinning and bearing it, you're simply not cold.

"Below minimum" - what do you define as minimum? It's a personal choice, anywhere from 15 to 25 degC, and most people are comfortable at whatever they're used to, there isn't a specific temperature that everyone is happy at. When I visit relatives I'm usually unbearably hot and want to escape, it's definitely not a welcome treat.

It's well worth attempting to re-train yourself, perhaps reducing by 1 degC every couple of weeks would be difficult to notice for most. Obviously there's a llimit somewhere but it's definitely down to training.

I know what cold is; I swim in fugging lakes!

Regarding living spaces though, the cost of my being comfortable is not exhorbitant in comparison to not being comfortable. So, I'll be that bit more comfortable.

I really don't see the point in spending hundreds of pounds per month to be uncomfortable; in such circumstances, I might as well turn it off altogether, and be cold AND a lot better off :giggle:
 
If you have a nice duvet and another human next to you, then you probably don't need your heating on over night, unless it's -10 outside. If you consistently have your heating around 15-16 degrees you are probably going to start getting mould etc.
Mould is moisture, and results from a lack of ventilation, often together with drying laundry inside and/or not having bathroom extractors.

Temperature doesn't make much difference, in fact I'd speculate that those who like it warm are less likely to open a window or even internal door than those who are comfortable in fresher temperatures.

We open all the windows every morning and change the air, even if it's white outside. Then seal up after about an hour and heat for the day. We don't dry any laundry in the house, it all goes in the heat pump dryer. Some rooms are never heated at all. We have absolutely no mould anywhere.
 
it really depends where the thermostat is

Our downstairs in open plan except for the hallway. Our stat is next to the door that leads from the open plan area to the hallway so close enough to work, but far away to not be too sensitive.

I always understood the stat should be nearest to a radiator with no TRVs of any kind - otherwise the stat is fighting against a TRV-controlled radiator.

Heat pump dryer

It's basically a tumble dryer with a heat pump, rather than a huge duct going out the wall. You have to empty a water tray every so often.
 
what do you define as minimum? It's a personal choice

This. But the problem is apparently "smart" devices do not understand this concept to allow such customization. There is guidance from both heat and health organisations (including NHS) that a "comfortable" temperature is between 18-21/22degrees which they seem to follow.
 
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