Heat in the winter

[velochic]

This question is for people who live in places where it really does get cold in the US and Canada. I'm not talking about the South of the US or cool and rainy coast of Washington State or sunny San Diego. I'm talking to those in the Midwest, upper Midwest, East Coast, New England, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, etc. Places where you honest-to-goodness have, for the most part, 4 seasons, with a full-blown winter and where the average temp from November to March hovers at or below 32F/0C and you get snow... frequently some years.

Without Frugality in mind (which is why I didn't post it there), what would you have your ambient room temperature to be during the cold months? This is regardless of what kind of heat you have or how much it costs. What is your comfortable temperature if there were no other factors? Two other questions... are you active inside your house when you are at home or are you mostly sitting? Do other people in your house have a different preference? What do you usually wear when you're home? Three layers of sweaters or shorts, a bikini top and flip-flops?

Just curious. Obviously we're having a discussion in our home about this right now.

[doubledutch]

we heat our house to about 65. that feels cold (with drafty windows) if i'm sitting on the couch in a long-sleeve t-shirt and pj pants and bare feet, but fine if i bundle up and actually hot if i'm busting a move on housework. the bathroom stays much warmer if we keep the door shut because it's not drafty. the bedroom (finished attic) stays cooler, which is nice.

honestly, if cost and the environment were not a factor, i'd probably heat it to 70 and do my housework in a tank top. from an environmental perspective, i feel like i should turn it even lower than we currently do, and dress in warm layers even indoors.

[akwifeandmomma]

Originally Posted by velochic

Without Frugality in mind (which is why I didn't post it there), what would you have your ambient room temperature to be during the cold months? This is regardless of what kind of heat you have or how much it costs. What is your comfortable temperature if there were no other factors? Two other questions... are you active inside your house when you are at home or are you mostly sitting? Do other people in your house have a different preference? What do you usually wear when you're home? Three layers of sweaters or shorts, a bikini top and flip-flops?

We live in Southcentral Alaska. We keep our thermostat at 67-68 during the day and 63-64 at night (10 PM to 6 AM), and probably would regardless of cost - we're just comfortable at those temps. We bump it up occasionally if we feel chilly or when the temp outside dips. We also have a wood fireplace that we use a few nights a week (more for mood/fun than heat, but it generally heats one level 4-6 degrees higher). We're on a balanced pay plan for natural gas heat, so my bill is averaged out over the entire year. I pay around $120/mo. and our rates are actually decreasing () next month! My new bill should be right around $105ish/mo.

We are active and busy indoors. I have three young kids and care for 2-4 other children in my home any given weekday. Lots of running around, active play, crafts, etc. We all dress in long sleeved shirts, long pants and socks. We all have down comforters or blankets on our beds, and are happy with a nice cozy bed in a cool room.

Neither DH or I can stand to be hot, so we personally prefer keeping things on the cooler side and adding a sweater, drinking some hot tea, or cuddling up with a blanket as needed. I can't recall my kids ever making a comment about their comfort, but if they did, we'd adjust!

[lifeguard]

We keep ours at 21 during the day & 15 at night (& our bedroom is much cooler than that thanks to this being a drafty old house with poor heating). I canNOT stand to be cold in my own house. I don't like to wear socks (although I often will wear slippers) & find if I feel cold I'm more inclined to just want to snuggle up under a warm blanket & not move. I also find I feel stifled/uncomfortable to move when I have many layers on. It's kind of funny 'cause being outside in the cold doesn't particularly bother me.

If we are being particularly active we will occassionally drop the heat a little.

[MommaShark]

At night it's in the upper 50, low 60s
during the day - it's about 70 but ranges from 62-80....we have wood heat.
I like to wear jeans/sweats with a tank or t and sweater or sweatshirt in the winter - but it can get too hot in here for that (DH likes to wear boxers.....)

[MommaShark]

PS while I'm in CA it didn't hit 32 outside yesterday and when we lived in Utah it was colder than Siberia and Anchorage many days and our house was the same warmth......ice on the windows every morning

[walking burp cloth]

We have already hit -10 in the evening this winter. Days are 0-20 F. Colorado Rockies. We heat with wood also, and usually try to maintain 70-75 F. In the evenings we don't stoke as often, and we usually wake up at about 63 F. We are both active and relaxed in our home depending on the time of day. I often wear longjohns, jeans, and a couple layers on top. I hate being cold!!

[sweetcheeks]

I'm in southwestern Manitoba, Canada... it's currently -26C/-15F here. So it's farkin' cold. We keep our programmable thermostat set at 20C during the day and it drops to 15C at night. I find at this temp, I need to wear heavy socks, slippers, jeans, and a short sleeve with a sweater or sweatshirt to be just comfortable in the house. Depending on what I'm doing around the house -- if I'm just sitting around reading, watching TV or on the computer, I'll need my robe also. I get cold easily and I find the same for DD. She's actually worse than me b/c she has hardly any body fat. DH and both the boys run hot. It's not an unusual sight to see DS2 runnign around the house with just a dipe and socks on and me bundled up like I'm going to freeze to death!

I guess I wouldn't mind having the heat set a bit higher during the day but then the guys would be boiling (not to mention the increase in our hydro bill each month!). I find moving about really helps make up for the heat increase I can't have. But even if I wouldn't mind the increase in our montly hydro bill from turning up the heat, I couldn't do it b/c I'd feel guilty about the environmental impact of using more gas to heat the house.

[ParisApril]

Ontario here!

If the world could be 21C/70F year round I would be a happy camper! I would be wearing a t-shirt and pants with sandles.

[BetsyS]

I'm in the south, so I'm not supposed to answer.

BUT...if I had my wishes, our house would be 70 all the time, winter and summer. In winter, we could make that happen (but don't because of cost), but in the summer, it's an impossible dream (a nice dream, though ).

[ChristyMarie]

I'm in Chicago.

At night it is 57 but I may bump that down as DS and I are still a bit warm. I've had my ceiling fan on at night.

During the day upstairs is 60, main level is 62. We had guests on Sunday so we figured we should turn it up. We turned it up to 65 and we were all roasting. LOL.

I think it really depends on your house though. At our old house it was set at about 65 at night, 68 during the day and that felt COLD. But that house was much older and I'm guessing not as well insulated. Plus here we have brand new furnaces.

[Alyantavid]

I guess I count considering it's currently -13 right now.

We keep ours at around 67ish, day and night. I think it's cold, but the boys and dh all run a little hotter than me and it's perfect for them.

It's not so cold that I need a coat and slippers all the time, but it definitely makes my fleece sheets feel really good at night.

[HeatherAtHome]

I'm in Qc. We keep our heat at 19C in the main part of our house, 17-18C in our bedroom and 14-15 in unused rooms (and keep doors closed). I think 22 would probably be a nice temperature for sitting around. I'm not sure because I'm too chicken to set thermostat that high.

We have a really drafty house and while we are working on it, our hydro bill seems like it will be quite high (our first winter here).

At 19C: I dress in sweatpants or jeans, socks and slippers (ballet style) tshirt and sweater. If I'm doing hard labour (we're renovating) a t shirt is fine. If I'm doing regular housework, or sitting around, a sweater is necessary. I also keep small blankets on the couch to snuggle up in.

We have electric heat and I just *dream* of curling up beside a wood stove, blasting out some heat.

Our house used to have oil but the previous owner switched to electric. I know what her electric bills were so I'd hate to see what the oil bill was like.

[vtgirl]

wow - i guess i like it hot! i live in vermont and we normally have a heating season from oct - april.

we heat with a wood-burning furnace located in the basement which has an oil burner as back-up. we have had the same tank of oil for 4 years, that's how rarely we just go to the wall and turn on the heat.

when i use the oil (occasionaly in the AM before we leave) i just put it on to blow some warm air and take the night chill off while we eat and get ready.

when i come home i build a fire and while the house might be 62 when i get here, an hour or so later it's 72. sometimes it gets a little too hot and we actually open the slider to cool the house. i like 72-74, i don't like to wear a sweater or socks in the house and we are pretty chill in the evening - not too much action going on after dinner.

we sometimes load up the fire before we go to bed if it will particularly cold (like single digits) but usually we let it go out and rebuild the next day if necessary. we try not to use fuel thru october but we have never made it. i will often put the oil heat on if its cold in the house but too warm outside for a fire.

sorry if that is TMI - i guess i was just trying t explain how it works for us and that i totally would have the heat at a constant 72degrees if i was at home. its just comfortable no matter what you've got going on (unless youre doing aerobics!)

[yeahwhat]

Without considering cost, around 18C during the day and around 16C at night. I was at my father's house this weekend. He keeps it around 20C during the day and I found it too hot. Even with him turning it down at night, dh and I had to turn on the ceiling fan to be comfortable sleeping. I don't want to walk around the house in a tshirt and feel warm when it's sub zero outside.

As it is, we keep it around 16-17C during the day and closer to 14C at night. I find it comfortable in the rooms with digital thermostats and either a bit warm or a bit cold in the rooms with the older thermostats. We really need to get around to replacing the kitchen and bedroom ones.

[1jooj]

WI here, and we heat to 62 during the day, 60 at night. Ideally, I'd bump it to 64, probably, but only when I'm sitting around. I'm in and out of the house many times a day, so it feels wasteful to heat a lot, and because I am in and out, I am usually dressed for it. I typically wear a couple layers on top, one layer on the bottom, socks and a stocking cap. I wear a stocking cap almost 24-7 as soon as it cools down in fall, and wear it through to spring. It really helps me stay warm. My mother hates it.

[kyndmamaof4]

We keep the house around 66* in the day, and wear warm clothes...the house is drafty, in the middle of fields...(my friend calls our home "little Kansas" because the wind never stops blowing) and at night around 58* but we all sleep with warm blankets and the little ones sleep in footie pjs.

Personally, I think that many people are spoiled and think they should walk around the house all winter in their underware my DH being one of them. I grew up with a wood stove in our home, and it was VERY warm in the LR where the stove was, but the rest of the house was quite cold.

I LOVE to wear cozy wool sweaters, and wrapping up in a blanket and reading a good book. My kids are used to it, and my DH has finally come around the last few years...most overnight company is suprised, but it's totally comfortable for us.

That's why we have sweaters and socks!

[Aeress]

Lake Erie region of NY-

At night, the heat is set to come on at 60. During the day we tend to stay at 62 until about 3 when the sun begins to go down and then I turn on the stove. 65-67 is toasty to me.

Now, dh likes it to be 68-72 but we don't count him because his office is at least 75-76 degrees and anything below that feels cold to him.

[Ola_]

I like 20-21C during the day (we keep it at 20 right now) which is 69-70F according to an online calculator. I alternate between doing stuff around the house and sitting. Usually I wear a t-shirt and a sweatshirt on top, pants and socks on bottom, so when I'm doing stuff (esp. cleaning or standing over a hot stove for a while) I take off my sweatshirt because I get too warm. When I'm sitting I put the sweatshirt back on as I cool down. Watching TV or reading (i.e. not moving for a while) I'll put a blanket on my legs or snuggle with DH or one of the dogs.

At night I need it cooler to sleep, or I end up tossing, turning and sweating. Plus it's nice to snuggle under covers. I think 17C is good for night-time (62-62F). I do find that our programmable thermostat is invaluable because it starts to reheat the house just before the alarm goes off - the heat kind of kicks me out of bed.

[Mpenny1001]

We keep it at 67 during the day, which is much colder than most people we know. If we are just sitting, this feels fairly cold, so we wear thick socks, slippers, long underwear, fleece pants, turtlenecks and heavy sweaters. I often throw a robe on over the top because I am particularly chilled. If we are moving around, well, it still feels pretty cold to me, lol! I love to go visit my dad who keeps his house at 72. I can comfortably sit on the couch in socks, slippers, jeans, turtleneck and sweater.

My ILs keep their house at 60 and it's really unpleasant (even for them!). People huddle together, wear jackets, hats, scarves, etc.

For reference, our forecast today is for a high near 10 degrees with wind chills around -20. We have a new, energy efficient gas furnace and a well-insulated house.