What is your thermostat routine?

[wemoon]

I'm ashamed to admit that I kind of have my thermostat set high compared to what I've seen other people set theirs at here. I have absolutely no body fat to keep me warm and sweaters and me just don't mix well.

That being said, I set mine at 70 during the day and 64 at night.

What do you all do, do you notice a huge difference in bills when you follow this routine? I don't even know if it saves me money because I haven't tried just leavign it high at night.

[mama kate]

I keep it set at about 72 pretty much all the time - I think the lowest it gets at night is 68. Depending on which one of us sets it! ;) I get very cold ecspecially since we just moved from TX to WI. Plus Emma gets cold pretty easy & I'd rather keep us all warm & cozy than having us miserable & cold!

[Bippity]

We're about 65 over night & when we're not home. About 70 when we're sitting around - unless it's REALLY cold out - like single-digits - then I'll turn it up to 72 or even 74 to keep from shivering! If we've been working hard at cleaning up - maybe 68-ish.

[chickadee79]

We keep ours set at 70. If it is somewhat warm and sunny during the day I turn it down to 68 but as it gets towards dusk I turn it up to 70 again. Can't keep it any lower at night because our house is old(1900) and drafty.

[OhMel]

Wow, those all seem really warm to me. Ours is set for 60 at night and 65 during the day. To stay happy at 65 you need two layers on or need to be running around. I usually have on a tee shirt/turtleneck and a buttondown or sweater. In the morning/evening when we're in our pjs we either start a fire or pull a blanket around us.

[CandyApple]

We have an older farmhouse, that is prone to drafts, so we keep it about 68, unless there's a lot of wind, then I have to crank it up (tho the house stays around 68 anyway). So we tend to dress in layers.:)

[fayking]

comes on for an hour in the morning at about 70 and then from 4pm till approx 11pm also at about 70 (i WOH) i never have it on at night and i dont know anybody over here in the UK who does either...but i guess it doesnt get too cold!

[TiredX2]

The heat turns on at 7am and back off at 9am: 65.

Bumps back on around 5pm to 65 until 9ish again.

Otherwise (and we are often home during the day--- we bump it up if needs be) it is at 50 (we have good insulation, it rarely goes below 60).

[mamabutterfly]

65 daytime, 60 nighttime. Our house is big, gas bills kill us.We decided to get a space heater to occasionally warm up a room - like heat the bathroom before dd's bath, or warm the bedroom (them turn it off and get under a lot of covers). We added our thick sleeping bag to our bedclothes, and find we often wake up sweaty! :)

[Ravin]

As soon as it cools off enough that the indoor temp is staying below 90 during the day (sometime in November), it gets turned OFF and stays that way until it's too hot to stand any more in spring (sometime in late Feb-March), at which point it is set at 80-85 and we grudgingly run the AC so that we don't die of heat stroke from going upstairs. Windows are frequently opened in cool season until it's almost too cold, then closed again, and in warm season at night until it's reallly hot, when the AC gets turned on. Except Tuesdays when the mowers come and any time the air quality is really sucky, because of DH's allergies.

Did I add that I live in Arizona and we have crappy insulation in our apartment?

[bamboogrrrl]

We also have a big old drafty farmhouse. We keep it at 60 degrees all the time during the winter, but we have two woodstoves, so if one wants to hang out in the kitchen, it is usually in the 70s. After I wrote the check out for the fuel oil this past summer, I'll keep the house chilly. Ouch!

[MamaAcorn]

In the winter, I want 68 (I wanna be able to wear my winter clothes), dh wants 72, so we compromise at 70.

In the summer, different story. I grew up without any AC, so I want it set at 78-82. Dh wants it to stay the same year round at 68-72.

[Persephone]

Alright, I'll be the one everyone gasps at. I NEED it at 72 during the day at the very least. Our apt has really crappy windows, and as soon as the heat shuts off, you can feel the cold draft from outside. So, I have it on 74 about half the time. At night we turn it down to 70. Yes, our bills are outrageous. But I lived for years with my father, who kept it at about 67-68, and my bedroom was the most poorly insulated in the house. I shivered my way through several winters, which gave me a sore back and TMJ. I WILL NOT suffer like that again!

[Mamame]

We have 3 zones of heat in our house (gas furnace/hot water radiators) - 2 for the bedroom areas and one for the living areas of the house. The bedrooms are set around 64 degrees or so and we adjust it depending on how cold it feels. The living area is set to 62 at night and 67 during the day. We also make sure all of the blinds are open on sunny days to help heat the house - the bedrooms on the east side of the house easily get into the 70s because of that!

[Periwinkle]

Kicks on @ 7am to 65.
Turns off @ 9pm to 58.

[heldt123]

Ours is at 61 degrees except for when I give my son a bath. I will turn it up a few degrees to let the bathroom heat up and then turn it down again. If we had it any higher, we wouldn't be able to pay for the heat bill. Last month it was $200. Old drafty house! I know it sounds horrible, but your body does adjust. You either keep moving or you cuddle under a blanket. We do have a fireplace that we use on colder days to keep the living room livable.

[MamaDuck24]

I guess we're either really odd, really cheap, or really poor :bag:

During the day, the thermostat is at 60o, at night, it's at 57o. Colder than a frog. Right now, it's 23o outside, and I've got on long underwear, jeans, socks, shoes, an undershirt, t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, fleece vest, and my hands are still cold.

Our gas bill averages $70/month, for a 3BR 1.5BA, 2-story house.

My kids, however, don't seem to get cold... My "baby" is wearing a dress-up costume, one is wearing slippers. Certainly, they are more active than I am, and none have a thyroid disorder!!

Best wishes and stay warm!!

[Cloth4Colin]

I keep ours at 68 during the day and completely off at night...

[Saramomofmany]

During the day we usually have it at 66-67 at night 64. Our last bill was over $200(and we have a small, but old and drafty house), so I'm considering trying to go a little lower. It doesn't matter what the temp is, the kids still love to run around naked!!

[Rainbow]

65 all the time. 67 is what our gas company reccomends for the best efficiency. We would turn it down at night, but never remember or think about it.

[MoMommy]

We have ours at 72 pretty much all the time. Our bill is usually around $170, I think. This thread is inspiring me to start setting it lower.

[apecaut]

Our's is pushed as far to the left as possible, which I think is 60. My gas bill was about 55 dollars for my house (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and finished basement) last month.

[kvan]

We have ours set at 65ish all day, until dh comes home and tells me how freezing it is in the house....:)
Then he turns it up to oh, 70.
I have to crank it back down when ds goes to bed or his room gets way too stuffy (and dh sits on the couch in fleece pants, a turtleneck, socks and a blanket)

[Cloth4Colin]

I keep ours at 68 during the day and completely off at night...

[sweetfeet]

I have mine at 72-74 consistantly. Our electric and gas are each only $35ish a month. I'm not sure if my heat is gas or electric. :bag:

[medaroge]

69 during the day and 64 at night :)

[poppywise]

i feel like our house is always freezing, but... :bag: i s'pose it's not really, no...
68 during day [up to 70 if it is a chilly day] and i try to remember to turn it down to 65 at night.
i think my hands are ALWAYS cold...so i'd like to set it higher, but we can't stomach the $$ bill $$

[MamaOui]

We just moved a few weeks ago, so I am trying to figure out what works for us. Our goal this weekend is to get some plexiglass for our outer back door. There's only a screen in it. We also need to do more to prevent drafts from coming in from our kitchen exhaust vent. My dh insulated a bit more in the cellar.

I have been turning the heat off at night and keeping it around 70 during the day. There is a HUGE temp. Difference between our first and second floors. We just need a bit of time to figure it out.

[bdavis337]

60-62 at night, 62-64 during the day. All depends on the outside temps. We have drafty windows and a furnace from, get this, 1955, so it's only 50% efficient. Once we replaced our old thermostat with a digital one we saw a nice difference in heat consistency, but we're still running about $200/month for gas this winter. YIKES. I'd go lower, but it's just too darn cold.

[mightymoo]

..I have been pretty cold htis pregnancy, so the thermostat has been set pretty high at 71 and I often bump it up. But after looking at our giant gas bill, I decided to take the hit and turn it down to 68 during the day, 65 at night and noticed I didn't really feel that much colder - I think its just a preganncy side effect! I might try to go lower, maybe it would tend to make my DD not rip off all her clothes and run around nude.

I also keep a space heater and will have it blow directly on me if I'm cold - while I know electric is less efficient than gas I think its probably using less overall energy (and cost) to heat just me rather than the whole house. And we spend most of the day in the family room on the lowest level and the thermostat is upstairs, so that means I got to heat the upstairs 3 degrees warmer to make the downstairs comfy.

I like the idea of just having it 'shut off' during the day and only bump it up when it gets too cold - since we have a programmable its easy to just turn the temp up and you don't need to remember to reset it later - when the time zone switches, it automatically goes back to its original program.

[Cutie Patootie]

Holy Smokes! Some of those are pretty low. :bag: I feel like a big waster. :LOL We have recently started to keep ours at 72 during the day and 66-68 at night. Before we had ds we kept it really low during the day, and at night, practically off. Ds loves to run around naked and bathes and all. I just want him to be comfortable and snuggly. :D

[mammastar2]

We've been keeping it at 60 around the clock, except when we have guests because we'd be embarrassed! Our last gas bill was still $185. Yikes. Another reason to be happy we're moving this month.

[Ravin]

I should add that while we're very grudging w/ the AC at home, I have a tendency in summer to go hang out at the mall ALL DAY (I take a lunch) to take advantage of the free AC.

[artemesia]

60 during the day, 50 at night and kids and I just pile in bed together under a bunch of blankets. I can't stand to sleep in a hot dry room in the winter, of course I grew up in an old house where I'd wake up with ice on the inside of my window so I guess I'm used to it.

[Gemini]

72 during the day and down to 62 at night. I think we need new insulation in the attic because it seems our heater is on all the time. I even have the plastic on the windows.

[mumm]

I guess I really am cheap! 57 during the day, 54 at night. We could go colder at night (4 in a bed keeps you warm!) but we have trouble with pipes freezing. I do use a little heater in the bathroom during tub time for the kids when it is really cold.

btw, just found this forum. nice. happy to see others who are frugal either out of necessity or desire.

[*Jessica*]

We have a digital thermostat (not expensive....maybe $20 at most) so ours adjusts when we need it to to keep the bills down and us warm enough. We keep it at 67* during the day and 62* at night. Our bill last month was a little over $300! We do live in NY and it has been in the teens or lower for a few weeks now, so I'm sure that's why, but our gas bills in the winter are usually over $200/month. We rent, though, so we can't do much about making it more efficient.

[fayking]

wow you guys have huge gas bills! it isnt very cold at all here this week...about 8C/46F, often lower but my gas bill is never more than $28 a month. i do have a small house though, maybe something in the UK is cheaper!

[ctdoula]

Wow, we're cheaper than I thought, ROFL. We set ours at 60 pretty much all the time. Occasionally we'll jack it up to 62 or 64 if we get a big chill :D Oil is so expensive this year. Honestly, we're so used to it, and our bills have gone way down (compared to previous years where we set it to 64).

[boingo82]

Ours doesn't have numbers, just "low", "high" and "comfort zone". We have baseboard heat (terribly slow/ineffecient) and a separate dial for each room.
Our thermostat routine is,



I turn on the heater, 'cause it's cold, to "low-comfort-zone".

Sometime while I'm at work, DH decides it's too hot, and opens the bathroom window, and turns on the swamp and the room AC. (I am serious.)

He turns off the swamp and the AC right before I get home.

I get home to a freezing house, despite all the heaters being on. I go to the bathroom, sit on the freezing seat and see that the window's open.

A fight ensues.

He swears up and down that he will turn off the heaters instead of opening the window. Also swears not to run swamp and AC simultaneously. Also swears to run neither of these with the heaters on. Also swears not to run AC or heater with window open.

Power bill (which DH pays) arrives, DH wonders how we used $180 of power in 840 sq. ft.

And repeat from the beginning....

Not exaggerating about any of this. Thermostat is just about the only bone of contention in our marriage.

[momto l&a]

70 in the living room while we are up. 62 when we are gone or asleep.

We heat with a Toyo oil stove which is supposed to use just a dollar or two worth of kerosene a day :rolleyes

[be11ydancer]

Wow, I would absolutely freeze in your homes. :) Ours is gas and set at 72 during the day and 74 at night. When it snowed once, we turned it up to 76. We have very poor insulation and thin windows.

But it's not uncommon here that you have the heat on in the morning when it's 30 degrees outside and by 2pm, it's possibly in the 70's.

[shalena]

Ours is kept pretty high...I feel cold all of the time. At night I turn it down to 69 or 70 and in the morning i turn it to 74. :bag:
Before we had a newborn in the house we kept it around 72 during the day and 67 at night.

[mady5]

60 degrees 'round the clock on the first floor, but we don't have heat in our bedrooms, and have the orginal windows in our 1891 house. I have alot of blankets, and find it really hard to sleep in other people's houses where there isn't that nice weight over me and nice cool air on my face. I forgot to turn up the heat on christmas this year until I looked around and all of my relatives were putting back on their coats. :innocent

[DesireeH]

68 in the day and 66 at night although it rarely clicks on.

In the summer we keep it set to 73 (a/c)

[Alkenny]

I live in an older mobile home right off of an empty cornfield, so the wind can get wicked. I keep it set at 70 during the day and 68 at night. But when DH is home, I find that I'll walk past it and he's kicked it up to about 75....grr! (I promptly turn it back down!)

The age of your home, the vicinity of it, the temps outside, all can make a difference.

My brother only lives 12 miles away, but his house has all new windows and is set in the middle of town. He keeps his heat set at 65 and it seems downright ROASTING in there when we visit!

[mirlee]

Our house is usually about 68 when we are home and 65 when we are not. Just those few degrees actually makes a difference . I was taught that to save money and heat efficiently, avoiding extremes was key.

We both grew up in old drafty homes with old furnaces. Along with some research on what makes sense to maintain a good temperature, these are the things I would suggest.

Don't turn the furnace off completely. By turning your furnace off, you make it work all the harder when you do turn it on. Just think of all the gas it is using when it has been off all night and you want to raise the temp in the house from 50 to 60. Even if you are going out of town for a week or two, don't turn it off. Up here, you run the risk of bursting pipes. Then you come home to a very cold, flooded house.

Windows should have curtains to block breeze and keep heat in. If the window are drafty, plastic sheeting works wonders. Even rolling a towel and placing that on the sill under the window will ease some draft.

Check the doors for wind. Adjust or add weatherstripping. A rolled up towel at the bottom of the door will keep the draft at bay.

Insulate your hot water if gas. This will help it retain its heat and use less gas to heat the water.

Programmable thermostats can help control the temperature and keep things constant. You can set home, away, and sleep temps.

Put on a sweater, dress in layers, or snuggle under a blanket with your favorite kids.

Wear slippers.

Also, do you have antiques in your home? Artwork that you care about? Books that are rare or that you care about? These things are not meant to be stored in very cold temps. They all need enough heat and moisture to keep them healthy. Most archives and special collections keep their valuable materials between 65 and 70.

Oh, and I'm with Mady. I have a hard time sleeping without that blanket weight.

[mirlee]

Oh, I also forgot! We avoid having to shell out massive bucks each month on our gas bill by getting on the budget plan. Yup, we pay the same amount all year long. This helps with the money issue. I haven't paid a bill over $100 in several years.

[magemom]

Ihad it set to 55 at night, DH who is always asking to turn it down, asked for it to be warmer. with some fiddling, we have it at 64 at 10pm. at 5:30 itcomes up to 74 then at 8 it goes to 55 till 3 when it goes to 70.

no one is ever happy. we opt to the side of cooler- many times i turn the furnace off. we have a gas log fireplace that i turn on if i am chilly. (wearing socks, pants, turtleneck and sweater)