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Thread: Is There an Ideal Thermostat Setting ?

  1. #1
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    Is There an Ideal Thermostat Setting ?

    I'm posting this mostly to say I give up. We have a well insulated non drafty house. My wife likes to turn the thermostat way up rather than put on a sweater. I'm happy putting on a sweater when I feel cold. We can afford the natural gas no problem. It probably only costs $50 a month more to "overheat" our house. I consider it a waste, but I have to let go of that to keep the peace.

    From now on I will be wearing a thin T-shirt, no sweater and biting my tongue all winter.

    I bet this a common problem,right?

  2. #2
    It seems to be. Luckily, both my wife and I (both over 60) like the house cooler, certainly below 70 degrees, maybe 65 in the winter. One thing I noticed when visiting friends who live in the northern US (multiple friends in different locations) is that they keep their house very warm in the winter, perhaps 78 degrees. I'm just dying when I visit them - there's a limit to how much clothes you can take off and still be decent.

    I don't understand it because you can just put on a sweater if you're cold and 68 (for example) is not really cold.

    Mike
    Last edited by Mike Henderson; 01-22-2013 at 2:59 PM.
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  3. #3
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    I have fought that battle and compromised. We keep the house at 71, 65 after 11pm. She would prefer 76/70, me, 68/63.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  4. #4
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    You don't indicate your age but just wait till menopause if you haven't experienced that yet. Set the heat to 78 for an hour and then switch to A/C. We generally set ours at 72 in the winter and 74 or higher in the summer.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rimmer View Post
    You don't indicate your age but just wait till menopause if you haven't experienced that yet. Set the heat to 78 for an hour and then switch to A/C. We generally set ours at 72 in the winter and 74 or higher in the summer.
    we use 75 during the winter and 80 during the summer

  6. #6
    When we cut our fuel down and hauled it to the house, we kept the house hot. Now that it's natural gas, we keep it at about 68 degrees in winter and 80 in the summer. You can afford a lot of gas with natural heat, but it goes against my wants to spend money on something that literally goes up the chimney if I can help it. It'd be cooler than that if I didn't have a wife and kids, and there would be no air conditioning in the summer.

  7. #7
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    70 during the day and 68 at night in Winter. No heat in Summer and AC (window unit in bedroom) when the temp hits around 90 with humidity high. If a person feels cold I recommend letting them have the warmth that they need because they really do need it if they feel cold. It shouldn't be a contest of wills but a feeling of comfort in their home.
    David B

  8. #8
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    Here on the Cape, sticking out in the water some, we ( 65, and 64 yrs old) have a programmable thermostat. It is at 60 from 9PM till 5AM, then it is 66 from 5AM till 7AM. Then 60 from 7AM till 4PM, then 68 from 4PM till 9PM, and on and on.... That is for the cooler and coldest months. In recent years, with warmer Falls and seemingly shorter Winters, the baseboard hotwater heat is used mostly from late November to early April, give or take week or so. I guess that the ideal setting is the one that makes the most people (or the most important) happy. At those temps I often wear a short sleeved shirt, and honey wears a sweater... or 2

  9. #9
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    The ideal setting is the one where everyone can be made reasonably comfortable by adding or removing clothing. If you need shorts and she needs a sweater and you're both comfortable then it is ideal. You can only remove so much clothing so there is a limit on how high the ideal setting can be.

  10. #10
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    Adding or removing clothing I can make the torso comfortable in a variety of temperatures - but nose, ears and hands are a different matter. Indoor temperatures in 60's make my nose cold and "sniffly". The temperature setting also influences humidity. Maybe all these variables explain why we often see little space heaters in "heated" buildings and fans in air conditioned buildings.

    Working outdoors in the Winter, I find a dusk mask and ear protectos are very comfortable since they keep my nose and ears warm.

  11. #11
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    I live alone, but I keep my thermostat at 69 degrees in the winter and 75 degrees in the summer. I do set the heat back during the hours I am not home and overnight.

  12. #12
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    67 from 6 to 9 AM, 55 from 9AM to 5PM, 67 from 5PM to 9PM, 55 from 9PM to 6AM. Summertime is irrelevant because the trees keep our house cool. Air conditioning is rare here. I didn't mention that my post-menopausal wife likes to have a window wide open all winter (in the bedroom). Never known a woman who prefers high heat!

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rimmer View Post
    You don't indicate your age but just wait till menopause if you haven't experienced that yet. Set the heat to 78 for an hour and then switch to A/C. We generally set ours at 72 in the winter and 74 or higher in the summer.
    Jim,
    I'm 62 and haven't had menopause yet. My wife is pretty much over it as far as I can tell.
    Last edited by Andrew Joiner; 01-22-2013 at 4:16 PM.

  14. #14
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    Wow, everyone got right into times and temps. Exactly what I'd expect from a bunch of woodworkers. I would keep it at 62F daytime and 58F for sleeping if it was just me. I have warm sweaters and a down comforter.

    We have been keeping it at 64F at night for years,but that will change now. My guess is 68F night and 74F day would be her ideal range.

    My wife says she doesn't even look at the numbers when she turns up the thermostat! She just wants the house warm when she feels cold. She's gone most work days so I would turn it down to 64F . When she gets home she's mad that I kept it so cold all day. It only takes 10 minutes for the house to get to 74F or 10 seconds to put on a sweater so I never saw her point.

    I will just have to let go and accept the situation. It's one of the rare things we argue about and really not important in the long run.

  15. #15
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    We keep the thermostat at 65. Winter or summer....I don't understand raising it to 80 in the summer as some have stated. If you have radiant heat you can't just turn it up or down when you like. It's not instant heat....
    Last edited by Jay Jolliffe; 01-22-2013 at 5:21 PM. Reason: Wrong temp

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