Comments on: Thermostat Setting For Winter Nights

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:32 +0000

Old topic, I know, but I thought I’d add to it.

I’m glad I found this topic. I thought I was a freak of nature! Over the years living in Alaska, I’ve gotten used to keeping the house cooler. During the day, I’m usually happy with 64-66, though sometimes I get a chill and crank it up to 68 or 70, but never higher. At night, I’ll turn it down to 58, though in the winter, we keep it at 62 to help keep pipes from freezing. Any higher than 62, though, and I wake up in the middle of the night sweating!

I travel frequently, and I now always have to crank the hotel’s air conditioner up to maximum before going to bed just so I can sleep.

Maybe it’s that I’ve really gotten used to the feeling of being chilly but buried under several nice, warm blankets. It’s a cozy feeling. Sleeping in a warmer room with fewer/thinner blankets just isn’t the same.

By: Computerman

Computerman — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:10:03 +0000

Hi we live in Middlebug, Fl jus 30 minutes outside Jacksoville, Fl this morning the temp drop to about 43 here I set the thermostat to about 75 and my wifesaid she still feels cold What temp should I set it to.

By: L. Schmitt

L. Schmitt — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:55:15 +0000

I am asking the best, most efficient way to set the thermostat on a geothermal heat pump. We just installed one and are seeking advise.

By: Sunni

Sunni — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:17:09 +0000

Eric — I have money, too. For me, I see two hands out. One hand is the utility company. The other hand is mine. I can put my earned income into the utility companies checking account or I can put it into my savings/investment account. Personally, I prefer to put money I earn into my accounts, a decision that has benefited me greatly over the years. If we all chose to live at least a few years like we did in college (we did survive quite well, thank you), we’d all be able to stop being employees long before we currently do.

I have also found that my body actually has acclimated to the colder temperature — and I originally hail from southern California. Here, in the NW (I’m in Washington, minutes from northern Idaho), it’s very cold in the winter. Last night, my 19-year-old son and I went to see a movie. He went without a coat. It was 30. He said he was fine with just his shirt (no sweater). I am taking care of a friend’s home, which is set at 69. I about died when I went in yesterday. It was uncomfortably warm.

It’s not crazy to save one’s green, Eric. Actually, I think it’s pretty darn smart.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:57:35 +0000

Some of these temperatures are people keep during the day are crazy. A few years back in the days after college, I would keep the apartment at 55-60 degrees – always. These days… Heck, I make money and want to be comfortable in my own home without having to dress up like I am going out into a snowstorm.

We currently keep the house at 69 from 4pm-10pm (we get home at 4:30) and 55 the remainder of the time.

By: Condo Blues

Condo Blues — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:11:34 +0000

It’s 21 degrees F tonight with lots of ice and snow. At bedtime our thermostat is set to 58 degrees. We don’t freze. Our Condo is well insulated and I sealed all of the air leaks & ducts last year. We have lots of blankets on our bed and a set of flannels sheets too.

By: Anitra

Anitra — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:11:08 +0000

Hm… we keep the house around 66 during the day, and that’s with a four-month old baby. We get down to somewhere around 63 at night.

We bundle the baby up in fleece PJs, a fleece swaddler, and often a blanket on top of that. Maybe we’re just blessed with a baby who is a heat machine like her daddy

By: Sara at On Simplicity

Sara at On Simplicity — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:41:52 +0000

Apparently we’re more hardcore than I thought! With temps in the 20s, we keep the thermostat at 60 at night. Of course, we pile on the covers, the down blanket, and soak up the warmth of fleece sheets. We consider the chilly evening showers an adventure, I guess…

By: Jnanesh

Jnanesh — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:18:13 +0000

Very helpful forum – while we are at it, could someone let me know:
1. What should be the thermostat temp when you are away on holidays for 2-3 weeks? I have heard it should be enough to keep the pipes from freezing, but not sure what that temp is?
2. What’s the avg consumption in a single unit household?

Thanks in advance for the responses.

By: JanB

JanB — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:05:43 +0000

We heat with wood and have ever since our kids were babies. We have electric baseboard heat so each room has its own thermostat. The heat in the main room (living room, dining room, kitchen) doesn’t work, but the wood burning stove heats the whole house. We live at 8500 feet in the mountains of Colorado so it can get cold! It is 0 right now. We used to keep the heat in the kids room at about 63 at night when they where little. Now we do not turn it on, they don’t need it. Kids are tougher than you think. A lot of the time it is about 56 in the house when we wake up and I usually have to make them put socks and a sweatshirt on (we have hardwood floors and tile). We homeschool and will only start a fire if it is below 65. We are lucky because the couple that owned the house before us designed it for passive solar. When the sun comes through the sliding glass door in the afternoon it raised the temperature of the house 8 degrees!