Poll: winter thermostat badassity

[rocksinmyhead]

Eh. I'm never fond of gender generalisations, cos I'm invariably the exception to any "rules" around men this, women that. I'm female and HATE the heat. I am almost always the only one at work (doesn't matter who I'm talking to or which team I'm in) who doesn't feel the cold and I nearly always wish the thermostat was turned down a few degrees in the office. The only people I've met who do better with the cold than me is a guy from Canada and a female friend from (of all places) far north Qld, ie the tropics.

Me too. I much prefer the cold to the hot. Probably why I choose to live in Canberra after growing up in QLD. You can always put on more clothes, but when it's hot it's just damn unpleasant.

see, this is where I'm a total weirdo... even though I definitely tend to feel cold, I VASTLY prefer cold climates to hot ones. maybe I just like bundling up, LOL. and when I exercise, even just a semi-brisk walk or walking up a few flights of stairs, I get hot REALLY fast. lately I've gone on some runs where it's been in the 60s, and I see other people running on the path wearing long sleeves and tights, and am stunned... like, aren't you SO hot?!??

[GardenFun]

Good thread.  House temp is the biggest thing DH and I have tifts about.  I swear he has a 2 degree operating window.  Wants the house at 71 in the summer and 69 in winter.  So far I've been able to open the window to 74 in summer and 67 in winter.  Goal is to get to 75/66. 

[MandyM]

My house is generally at 68 when we are awake. I would prefer to drop it a few more degrees, but my roommate is the opposite of badass. She will walk around in a t-shirt and bare feet and complain to me about the temperature. Last year for Christmas, I gave her a zip up sweatshirt that she could easily throw on and wear around the house. This year I think slippers are in order...

[StangStache]

We kept it at 60-62 last winter and it was tolerable. We have a space heater that we can use when that feels too cold. We have electric heat in a cold-ish climate (Denver), so a couple degrees on the thermostat makes a big difference in our bill.

This year we'll have a new baby, so we'll probably need to keep it a little warmer.

I have wondered about this.  Is it generally more efficient to use space heaters to heat single rooms than heat most of your living spaces conventionally?   My place has oil heat, and it's a killer on the wallet. 

[Thegoblinchief]

My house is generally at 68 when we are awake. I would prefer to drop it a few more degrees, but my roommate is the opposite of badass. She will walk around in a t-shirt and bare feet and complain to me about the temperature. Last year for Christmas, I gave her a zip up sweatshirt that she could easily throw on and wear around the house. This year I think slippers are in order...

Slippers went over big time with my wife last winter. Sierra trading Post had some really nice lambs wool lined ones with rubber soles for dirt cheap. The rubber soles help them last much, much longer.

[KBecks2]

I'm a baby,  I said 70, but I have been turning off the heat during the day and just turning it back on in the morning because it is chilly when we wake up.  Then after it warms up, I turn it off again.

This month (September) we had a very low (for us) electricity / heat bill!   

[senecando]

Landlords pay our heat, and control it, and live above us (i.e. get all our extra). Usually, the coldest season is about now, when the heat hasn't really gotten going. Midwinter it is toasty.

Thermometer in the kitchen is saying 66, which seems pretty comfortable to me.

[dragoncar]

We kept it at 60-62 last winter and it was tolerable. We have a space heater that we can use when that feels too cold. We have electric heat in a cold-ish climate (Denver), so a couple degrees on the thermostat makes a big difference in our bill.

This year we'll have a new baby, so we'll probably need to keep it a little warmer.

I have wondered about this.  Is it generally more efficient to use space heaters to heat single rooms than heat most of your living spaces conventionally?   My place has oil heat, and it's a killer on the wallet.

Really interested in the answer to this given that we have a big house with single-zone natural gas furnace.  We'll close some vents, but it might still be better to use electric to space heat a single room.  Maybe not, though since electric is so expensive.  Maybe just electric blanket.

[Thegoblinchief]

Electricity in my area is so expensive compared to gas. Also, being cold at low temps indoors is really just a stationary issue. If I get up and move around, I instantly feel warmer.

I'd do an electric blanket, the exception being I do occasionally fire up the space heater in the ice cold laundry area of my basement.

[clarkm04]

58oF away and asleep last year with a heat disc in our bedroom.

66oF at home.

This winter, we're going to do 66oF at home and 62oF at night.  Seriously upgraded our furnace to high efficiency along with a ton of insulation, so we can avoid a bit more luxury.

[seanc0x0]

It gets very cold where we are (sometimes -40), so I envy those who can keep a reasonably small delta between inside and outside. We do keep it cooler in the winter than most around here (usually ~65F), but this year we'll have a newborn so I'll probably be keeping the temperature up a bit. I also keep it up when fermenting, but I plan to make a fermentation box for that this year so I can better regulate the temp without having to heat a huge area unnecessarily.

In the summer, it's almost always cool enough at night that we can open windows, and so I leave the AC on manual. If it's too hot and humid to sleep, even with windows, I'll crank it on for an hour or so before bed to help the natural cooling. Also do that if someone is having a fire nearby, since my wife is allergic to woodsmoke.

[gnomemom]

I'm the lizard in my marriage ;)  I have kept it as cold as 67 in the winter (Cold, Chicago winters), but I nudge it up to 68 when needed.  I keep it at 78 in the summer, though.

Frankly, being cold is the pits to me.  And I'm wearing jeans, socks, slippers or shoes, and two layers on top at 67.  I'm not waltzing around half naked. 

I just treated myself to a new fleece top from Old Navy (on sale, about $10), and some new long thermal tops ($6.00).  Those will be on regular rotation this winter.  I sleep with an electric blanket (our room is no where near 67 - we live in an old home with terrible insulation and old windows).  I used to wear a hat to bed before my Dh kindly bought me the electric blanket for Christmas one winter.

Throwing on a hat or hood really does help on the super feeling cold days.

[PindyStache]

This year it is 66F, last year 68F, year before 70F, so doing OK in my book. Heat was broken for a bit this fall and the house was around 58-60 most of the time. I actually thought that was fine, but DW is getting better, and DS can't seem to keep blankets on during the night...

[FreeWheel]

Wife and I were doing 60, then decided a couple years ago it was worth it to us to bump it all the way up to 62.

But we're in Chicagoland and still haven't turned on the furnace for the season! Been down to 59 in here several mornings now.

Every year I joke that firing it up will be wife's Birthday present at the end of the month. LOL

[falcondisruptor]

Usually we'd be at 72 all the time. Last year we switched to 68 during the day ant 65 at night.  Our bill went way down.  This year we've set it for 65 for daytime and 62 at night.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

We're trying to wait as long as possible before turning the heat on for the winter. House is at 61 during the day right now, which seems to be just fine. Hoping we can make it at least until the beginning of November.

[falcondisruptor]

We're trying to wait as long as possible before turning the heat on for the winter. House is at 61 during the day right now, which seems to be just fine. Hoping we can make it at least until the beginning of November.

We made it to October, so I was pretty happy.  It got pretty cold at the beginning of September, so I didn't think we'd make it!

[workathomedad]

We keep it at 64, but even with that my hands often feel way too cold and sometimes crampy

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

We're trying to wait as long as possible before turning the heat on for the winter. House is at 61 during the day right now, which seems to be just fine. Hoping we can make it at least until the beginning of November.

We made it to October, so I was pretty happy.  It got pretty cold at the beginning of September, so I didn't think we'd make it!

Nice! I'm sure you have much colder temps where you are--we've actually had a pretty mild fall thus far. We have such a long winter, I just want to stretch out the no heat/no AC for as long as possible.... we'll see :)

[BPA]

20 degrees if my brother is home.  He pays me rent and isn't Mustachian.

17 degrees if he isn't.

[oldladystache]

When I moved into my house about 13 years ago I turned off the pilot light to the furnace. In summer I keep both front and back doors open all day and close the back door at night. In winter I usually just have the front door open most of the time. They are both open right now but I'll shut the back door when I go to bed. In late November or December I start to keep both doors shut.

For occasional very cold nights I turn on the small electric room heater.

I'll be moving to my new smaller place soon. So far the daytime temperature in the new place stays around 75. No idea about the nighttime.

[The Architect]

We kept it at 60-62 last winter and it was tolerable. We have a space heater that we can use when that feels too cold. We have electric heat in a cold-ish climate (Denver), so a couple degrees on the thermostat makes a big difference in our bill.

This year we'll have a new baby, so we'll probably need to keep it a little warmer.

I have wondered about this.  Is it generally more efficient to use space heaters to heat single rooms than heat most of your living spaces conventionally?   My place has oil heat, and it's a killer on the wallet.

Really interested in the answer to this given that we have a big house with single-zone natural gas furnace.  We'll close some vents, but it might still be better to use electric to space heat a single room.  Maybe not, though since electric is so expensive.  Maybe just electric blanket.

We started using a good space heater. Not sure yet if it's saving us money or not, but the house feels much more comfortable. Forced air is pretty inefficient and never seems to heat the areas you want heated well.

We then keep it at 55 at night and when we're away. I don't think it's gotten that low or kicked the furnace on often, but it's mostly just a way to keep the pipes from freezing.

[Penny Lane]

We are 62-64 up here in NNE; oil heat, good insulation, passive solar gain in the winter (no AC in summer needed).  Our kids used to ask if we were poor!  We have a tradition not to put the heat on til Nov.1.  60 at night with good down comforters.

[horsepoor]

58 most of the time, and 62 when we're home in the evenings.  If we get a good fire going and it gets into the high 60's, it feels crazy luxuriously toasty.  We haven't had to turn the heat on yet this year; hoping to make it until November.

When we bought this house it had an ancient, shitty electric furnace that barely worked, so we had to run the pellet stove in the basement pretty much 24/7, and it was consistently in the mid-50's inside.  One morning it was 47 on the main floor when I got up.  I think that winter toughened us up, so effortless maintenance of anything above 60 degrees without crazy utility costs seems wonderful.

Another plug for good wool or sheepskin slippers.  My Sorels disappeared at some point last winter, and yesterday DH unearthed them from under the bed (WHY did I not think to look there?); was SO excited to see them.

[RetiredAt63]

Right now I am not running the furnace (it's only October!) but the house was 15C when I woke up, and there is condensation on all the windows.  We have had several humid overcast showery days (really most of the fall this year has been like this), which is why the house is cold and damp.  Today is supposed to be cold but sunny, which should help.  If the house stays like this I will turn on the furnace to bring the heat up a bit and the humidity down.  No point running a dehumidifier, the whole house is damp, not just the basement, and every time the door opens the damp comes in again anyway (and with the dog the door opens a lot).

Where are my sunny crisp fall days?!

[UnleashHell]

When we lived in NH we had it set at 64 (especially as it was drafty!)  the thermostat was in the room that was south facing so in reality the rest of the house would be far cooler during the day. We then also added a wood stove in the seperatedly heated (or unheated as i prefered) family room - ran that for 4 days a week and rarely needed the extra heat from the oil based system.  paid $200 for a cord of wood for the einter and it'd save hundreds over the oil costs.


Now I'm in Florida we have a heat system that kicks in at 64 but is rarely needed.

[drak0017]

My mother (71) lives with me and she always seems to be cold, so I keep it higher than I otherwise would.  Last year's propane bill was brutal (live in CT), but we are adding some insulation this year - hoping this helps.

[Colgate_Toothpaste]

Our heating system is incredibly inefficient thanks to the dirtbag prior owner that flipped our house... 

Even with the thermostat set to 60 during the middle of the winter in SC, our electricity bill is $500 a month.  Compare that to spring and fall when the system is shut off- $130 a month (this bill includes water, sewer, electricity, and the bogus "pay for people on welfare" fees)

This year, we're switching to propane and I'm shutting off an entire zone of the central air system (so it only has to heat the upper floor).  Our neighbors did this and reduced their bill from $400/mo to $150 a month in the coldest months.

I'm originally from CT, so SC winters are NOTHING to me.  But, heat pumps are incredibly inefficient when the temps are below 35 anyways, so...

[GardenFun]

With the lower house temperatures, do you have issues with the bathrooms not drying?  I have been trying 65F and the master bathroom smells musty!  The towels and shower curtain aren't drying either.  We are also getting wicked condensate building up on the windows, requiring twice/day wiping. 

Any ideas to help this situation?  Run the temp higher for a few weeks to dry out the house, then switch back to 65F?

[GuitarStv]

We keep the HVAC fan on for most of the winter.  With the air circulating well we don't tend to get problems with mustiness or stuff not drying.  You do want to use the range fan when cooking and the bathroom fans when showering.  The furnace pulls a lot of moisture out of the air in a typical winter, even with house temps set to 18C.

[GardenFun]

We keep the HVAC fan on for most of the winter.  With the air circulating well we don't tend to get problems with mustiness or stuff not drying.  You do want to use the range fan when cooking and the bathroom fans when showering.  The furnace pulls a lot of moisture out of the air in a typical winter, even with house temps set to 18C.

Thanks!  I'll try these ideas. 

[rocksinmyhead]

Our heating system is incredibly inefficient thanks to the dirtbag prior owner that flipped our house... 

Even with the thermostat set to 60 during the middle of the winter in SC, our electricity bill is $500 a month.  Compare that to spring and fall when the system is shut off- $130 a month (this bill includes water, sewer, electricity, and the bogus "pay for people on welfare" fees)

This year, we're switching to propane and I'm shutting off an entire zone of the central air system (so it only has to heat the upper floor).  Our neighbors did this and reduced their bill from $400/mo to $150 a month in the coldest months.

I'm originally from CT, so SC winters are NOTHING to me.  But, heat pumps are incredibly inefficient when the temps are below 35 anyways, so...

holy shitballs!!! we have an electric air source heat pump in Tulsa (gets at least a bit colder than SC, I would guess), in a poorly maintained 1918 rental house with original windows, also keeping it around ~60F, and our worst month last winter was $155. our worst bill EVER was $200 this last August, we kept the house at 78-80F but had a puppy and we all kept leaving the damn back door open all the time. is your $/KWH insanely high?

but yeah, I totally feel your pain about the heat pump, I see other people's monthly electricity usage on this board and just cry quietly to myself. we rent so we REALLY can't do anything about it (except move, and balanced with other things this house works pretty well for us)

[OSUBearCub]

We're still in summer mode with the air conditioned temp set for 80°F.  Next we'll just turn if off.  Sometime in January we'll set it for heat at 68°F.

A good portion of my day is spent outside in the shed working on my hobby, so inside temp doesn't really affect me.

+1 for Central Florida

Facepunch - Though I'm already comfortable turning the system off 90% of the time I'm at home, I'm a wuss in the mornings.  I turn the heat on and up to 78 while I'm getting ready for work for an hour. (Studio apartment, essentially heating the master suite of a typical home.)  I have plans to grab a little space heater for the bathroom to avoid this and give me incentive to get to the wet works sooner. :-)

[wingarcher]

70ish is nice.... some mornings we wake up to a house at 59.... usually the mornings are in the low 60s, at around midnight the front part of the house might be over 75. 

Yes, we heat with wood.  Small house that is well insulated.  We burn about 2 2/3 cords of wood per year, costs about $500 per year.  Only have to move it a few times, stack it for 1.5 years to dry, etc etc.  We also have oil fired hot air as backup (never used except when we're away), electric baseboard in the bedrooms just because we could (remodel)... we got options.

Wood heat is a lifestyle, we check the house temp regularly to see what's what and what direction it's heading in. Requires planning and practice, and there are temp swings.  it's much less sterile than setting a thermostat!

N

[horsepoor]

I wimped out yesterday - it was 57 inside when I got up - opened the blinds hoping for some solar gain, but it was only 58 when I got home last night, and I was already chilled from being under dressed outside, so got all fancy and heated the house to 62, but turned it off this morning, and ought to be able to keep it off until Saturday, when it will start dropping into the 30's at night.  I'm thinking of leaving the thermostat at 60 this winter - 62 actually felt pretty warm, and I'm not even acclimated to the cold yet!

[paulkemp]

I tried to make it to November, but yesterday I had to turn on the (methane gas) heater for the first time this season. Things were getting a little too chilly below 16c - 60 fahrenheit.
I have a gas-burning fireplace in the living room that supplies me with an efficient 2 kw of heat, but getting up the stairs felt similar to heading outside...

I'm hoping for just as a lousy winter as we had last year, when there was -no- temperature below zero. Saved a lot of heating costs.

[Fodder]

I've got my thermostet set to 17C now.  It was 18C, but I lowered it, and no one has complained.

Socks and a light sweater are a must, but it's generally quite comfortable.

I keep things at a constant temperature as we have a geothermal unit, and it does not deal well with abrupt change.  Electricity last year was quite expensive, so I'm hoping to be a bit more of a badass this year (the geothermal unit is powered with electricity, so I can't isolate heating costs, but I can definitely say that my hydro bills last winter were more than twice what they were during shoulder season, and way more than during cooling season).  My bills will always be high though, as I have a sump pump that runs year round, and I use a dehumidifier in my basement to keep the moisture level from going too high.  Plus I'm heating a large bungalow.

[thenextguy]

Well, I've got the AC set at 78 degrees.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Alright, ya'll, we had to turn on the thermostat yesterday. So happy we made it to November 1 before turning the heat on! Outside temps dipped into the 30's and it became a necessity. We're now feeling good at 62 daytime/58 nighttime.

[NaturallyHappier]

We have geothermal heating and grid tied solar power.  The solar generates enough KW excess in the summer to more than pay for winter heating.  We keep the thermostat at 70F in the winter and rarely use air conditioning in the summer because we like to keep the windows open.  Electric costs me $0 each year, in fact I make about $10K each year selling the solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) back to the power companies.   Life is good.

[rocksinmyhead]

Alright, ya'll, we had to turn on the thermostat yesterday. So happy we made it to November 1 before turning the heat on! Outside temps dipped into the 30's and it became a necessity. We're now feeling good at 62 daytime/58 nighttime.

We turned ours on this weekend for the first time too. We woke up and it was 54 degrees in the kitchen, so we decided it was time. I'm okay with it.

[FreeWheel]

Alright, ya'll, we had to turn on the thermostat yesterday. So happy we made it to November 1 before turning the heat on! Outside temps dipped into the 30's and it became a necessity. We're now feeling good at 62 daytime/58 nighttime.

We turned ours on this weekend for the first time too. We woke up and it was 54 degrees in the kitchen, so we decided it was time. I'm okay with it.

I cleaned and fired up our furnace last Friday. After many mornings (and even a few afternoons) in the 50's, it's amazing how nice and warm 62 feels!

[justajane]

The last two days we have been suffering from a stomach virus that made us have the chills and feel really cold, so I bumped the heat up to 71 degrees. I ended up having to turn it back down to our usual 68, because it was drying me out so much. To me that is the worst part about putting your heat too high - you just get so dry. I can't breathe.

My husband's grandparents keep their thermostat between 75-78 in the winter, and not surprisingly they complain about getting headaches all the time. Forced heat at that magnitude gives me migraines, because it dries out my nasal passages. 

[horsepoor]

Alright, ya'll, we had to turn on the thermostat yesterday. So happy we made it to November 1 before turning the heat on! Outside temps dipped into the 30's and it became a necessity. We're now feeling good at 62 daytime/58 nighttime.

I think this is where we're going to end up, too.  I put it at 62 and left it there, and ended up too hot last night with the flannel sheets and comforter on the bed.  62 is pretty comfortable for lounging around in the evenings though.

[Daisy]

Finally - a frugal contest I can win. I may not be able to get my yearly expenses below $8k or even $15k. I may not be able to cycle every day to work with a 28 mile one-way commute. I may not be able to eat on less than $100/month.

But I sure think I can make it through the winter without even turning the heater on. Yeah! Bring it on!

[TheThirstyStag]

We have geothermal heating and grid tied solar power.  The solar generates enough KW excess in the summer to more than pay for winter heating.  We keep the thermostat at 70F in the winter and rarely use air conditioning in the summer because we like to keep the windows open.  Electric costs me $0 each year, in fact I make about $10K each year selling the solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) back to the power companies.   Life is good.

Wow.  I've never heard of someone making that much in selling SRECs.  That's friggin awesome.

How big is your solar setup? 

[Rezdent]

Well, darn.
I can't vote on this one.
No Thermostat, no CACH.
Just a wood stove and propane space heaters.  We've used the space heaters a few times  already this year just to take over night chill out of the house.

However, before anyone gets the idea that we live like the Clampets..We aren't that badass.
I surprised DH with a Fancy Electric Heated Toilet Seat as a Christmas present two years ago.  Great purchase - heating the only part of the bathroom that needs it.  Plus I still remember the look on his face when he unwrapped it.  OMG, Priceless.

[Milizard]

We keep it at 70, which is down from the 72 we kept when the babies were tiny.  The lady that owned the house prior to us had the thermostat programmed at 74.  The lack of insulation in the walls makes it feel much colder.  DH did some research on it, and I guess that is because the warm air leaving the house disturbs the little aura of heat that you have around your body from your own body heat.

I say this huddled under a blanket.  The drafty feeling in the house really effects my productivity, as I don't want to do anything but stay under a blanket when it feels so cold.

We've already replaced most of the single pane windows, but it didn't help much.  I think we really need to get some insulation into the damn walls.

[Longwaytogo]

Finally wimped out an turned my heat on today, so made it to Nov 10 in Maryland.

I have an awful oil boiler/furnace combo thing so even with my foam insulated house and good quality windows I get killed on heating costs. I was averaging $2500 a year on oil; but since switching to a hybrid electric hot water heater i have got it around $1600-$1800. My goal this year is below $1500. Of course part of that will depend on temperature and price of oil per gallon. But for my part I am going to lower daytime to temp to 65 (66 last year) and night time temp to 62 (64 last year). May also try and chop some wood and turn heater off all together some weekends when we are all hanging out in living room area anyway.

When I get my debt emergency in line; a new heating system is first thing on my list.

[Thegoblinchief]

Keeping the house at 62 is holding up so far. If they know we won't be going outside, my kids will happily run around in summer clothes and no socks at this temperature. They are far crazier than I am :P

My wife complained a bit, but has resorted to wearing a hat indoors and seems fine for now. I don't know if the 62 will make it all the way to January with her though.