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Sogo

(6,249 posts)
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 10:50 PM Dec 2024

Those of you in cold regions: What temp do you keep you thermostat at?

I know it depends on a lot of factors, but am looking for what people do in general....

62 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Those of you in cold regions: What temp do you keep you thermostat at? (Original Post) Sogo Dec 2024 OP
i do things lower than most. Except today Tetrachloride Dec 2024 #1
65 -68, depending on how drafty the place feels. Ocelot II Dec 2024 #2
72 Betty Boom Dec 2024 #22
++ cadoman Dec 2024 #60
72, year round. Meadowoak Dec 2024 #3
80 in summer 75 winter. onecaliberal Dec 2024 #4
72 elleng Dec 2024 #5
I live in Florida, but my 2 cents? Lunabell Dec 2024 #6
Heated steering wheels seem ridiculous but they are kind of nice. mobeau69 Dec 2024 #10
Funny story about my heated seat. Lunabell Dec 2024 #12
LOL mobeau69 Dec 2024 #16
68-70 (in winter) depending how I feel and how many layers I'm wearing. But right now it's more like 63 deg because nmmi Dec 2024 #11
Oh, layers!! Lunabell Dec 2024 #13
You are not like these Twin City dwellers then. OldBaldy1701E Dec 2024 #46
Many times I step outside in the morning when its like 68F and hear air conditioners blasting away at both neighbors' nmmi Dec 2024 #48
Exactly. OldBaldy1701E Dec 2024 #61
55 in Maine Easterncedar Dec 2024 #7
55 degrees?!? Boy, you must LOVE winter! JoseBalow Dec 2024 #42
I do love winter Easterncedar Dec 2024 #43
Glad I'm not the only one! imaginary girl Dec 2024 #54
72 in Winter, 76 in the summer. ProudMNDemocrat Dec 2024 #8
Similar in NoVA. I program the thermostat to save energy at night and when I'm not in spooky3 Dec 2024 #26
I keep it at +69F... 2naSalit Dec 2024 #9
We keep the main floor at 70 degrees, and the upstairs bedrooms at 69. patphil Dec 2024 #14
68 in winter, 70 in summer Luciferous Dec 2024 #15
Mid to upper sixties at night. Lower to mid seventies during the day. dgauss Dec 2024 #17
64 in winter / 72 in summer SharonClark Dec 2024 #18
I've been wondering about getting electric socks The Wandering Harper Dec 2024 #19
They may be better now than they once were. taxi Dec 2024 #27
66 day, 62 night WilliamPlanke Dec 2024 #20
ND winter, 69 day, 59 night fargone Dec 2024 #21
Winter during the day KitFox Dec 2024 #23
Somewhere between 72-76 mwmisses4289 Dec 2024 #24
I set the thermostat at 68 during daytime, in winter. love_katz Dec 2024 #25
Its 27f outside, 65 while sleeping, 68 while up and about. nt yaesu Dec 2024 #28
60-62 happybird Dec 2024 #29
68 in winter, 61 summer n/t sarge43 Dec 2024 #30
Usually at claudette Dec 2024 #31
It is 9 degrees Fahrenheit currently Dr. Shepper Dec 2024 #32
Kind of embarrassed to say, after reading these temps. Mike 03 Dec 2024 #33
Mines at 75 as well. jimfields33 Dec 2024 #36
My internal thermostat seems to run higher compared to other peoples internal thermostat Niagara Dec 2024 #34
Michigan here DetroitLegalBeagle Dec 2024 #35
North Dakota DeepWinter Dec 2024 #37
A hot water bottle helps. I'm sitting at the computer with one between my feet nmmi Dec 2024 #38
68-69 on winter days, and 60 at night. 3catwoman3 Dec 2024 #39
I keep it at br. justaprogressive Dec 2024 #40
72 in SW PA debm55 Dec 2024 #41
About 75 year round. Enough south-facing glass that in the winter I sometime have to open windows highplainsdem Dec 2024 #44
After years of 68, we finally decided crank it to 70! bif Dec 2024 #45
68 degrees jmowreader Dec 2024 #47
upper 50s low 60s Eugene Dec 2024 #49
Upper Michigan here. 70 year round Kaleva Dec 2024 #50
I have a woodstove ShepKat Dec 2024 #51
67 winter/78 summer Diamond_Dog Dec 2024 #52
65 except my bedroom 63 SaveOurDemocracy Dec 2024 #53
66 during the day, 63 overnight. Hassler Dec 2024 #55
59 at night, 64 daytime. n/t Harker Dec 2024 #56
63 in winter. irisblue Dec 2024 #57
I have parakeets to keep warm, so 75 Beringia Dec 2024 #58
This year - it's 70. dwayneb Dec 2024 #59
During winter, 68 during the day, 60 at night. Elessar Zappa Dec 2024 #62

cadoman

(1,265 posts)
60. ++
Fri Dec 6, 2024, 11:16 PM
Dec 2024

We go lower when we're working or sleeping. If we're inactive and wasting time, we go up to 68. Kinda sad.

 

Lunabell

(7,309 posts)
6. I live in Florida, but my 2 cents?
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:01 PM
Dec 2024

Heated seats in your car! If you have that option when you buy a car, do it!!

Oh, in winter we keep it at 68.

 

Lunabell

(7,309 posts)
12. Funny story about my heated seat.
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:26 PM
Dec 2024

I'm a senior, and this summer I got in my car and felt this warmth spread across my derriere. I thought, "OMG! I know I'm old but I am NOT incontinent!"

Then, I realized I accidentally hit the seat warmer button. 😅

nmmi

(248 posts)
11. 68-70 (in winter) depending how I feel and how many layers I'm wearing. But right now it's more like 63 deg because
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:25 PM
Dec 2024

the f'ing heat regulation system has an issue, which it does sometimes when its especially cold outside like below say 20 deg F. My furnace has plenty of capacity, it just doesn't come on very often and the temp sinks and sinks. I've had this issue a couple of times before in the last several years and they replaced something on the furnace, I'll have to look it up. (The thermostat is fine).

When i have my tune-up in the spring, I'll do something about it (unless it gets worse in which case I'll do something pronto). But for now -- 2 layers of pants, and 3 on top: sweat shirt, sweater, jacket. Plus scarf, balaclava + knit stocking cap. It's working out OK.

I was sick for months last year and kept it at 72-73.

Note to myself: radio clock thermometer reads 65 but I think it reads 2 deg too high.

Edited to add The 68-70 range I try to achieve is in the winter. In the summer, the thermostat is set at at least 80 degrees, I forget. I haven't run the A/C at all in the last 2 years (S. Minnesota). When needed, I'm comfortable with a big box fan combined with a little personal fan.

OldBaldy1701E

(7,896 posts)
46. You are not like these Twin City dwellers then.
Thu Dec 5, 2024, 05:17 PM
Dec 2024

The moment that the temperature outside gets to 70F, their car windows go up and their house windows go down! I am from a warmer climate, so I find it all very funny. I am walking to the store in jeans while it is 78F outside, and they are wearing shorts and tank tops and driving their cars with the A/C cranked. The 'native' that owns the house starts constantly checking the thermostat the moment the days get towards 80F. (I didn't tell you to pick the house that has the master bedroom facing the afternoon sun.) In our house, the heat is on 70F and the AC is on 76F. Which means, the dude has an effective operating range of six degrees. Then, has the nerve to start talking to me about 'hearty midwesterners'. Very funny.

nmmi

(248 posts)
48. Many times I step outside in the morning when its like 68F and hear air conditioners blasting away at both neighbors'
Fri Dec 6, 2024, 09:16 AM
Dec 2024

houses. That's 68F degrees outside. During spring-summer-fall. Meanwhile, if the day is expected to be hot, I will have my box fan blowing air in full blast for half an hour with windows open to pre-cool the house.

OldBaldy1701E

(7,896 posts)
61. Exactly.
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 07:49 AM
Dec 2024

You bring in the cool morning air, and then shut her down once the temp starts to rise. We have had nothing but windows while it was 85F outside, yet it was 74F in the house.

It is a matter of planning.

Easterncedar

(4,401 posts)
43. I do love winter
Wed Dec 4, 2024, 08:59 PM
Dec 2024

I have to admit, though, rather embarrassed, that after a week of keeping the house really warm for the visiting relatives over the holiday I was finding that 55 felt cool, so I tipped it up to 60 for a while this morning. I need to readapt!

ProudMNDemocrat

(19,630 posts)
8. 72 in Winter, 76 in the summer.
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:13 PM
Dec 2024

Though it was not that hot and humid this past summer, save for a couple of days.

spooky3

(37,488 posts)
26. Similar in NoVA. I program the thermostat to save energy at night and when I'm not in
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 03:32 AM
Dec 2024

the house. But I can’t stand temp extremes, even if they save $.

2naSalit

(96,889 posts)
9. I keep it at +69F...
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:14 PM
Dec 2024

Anything less and my nose gets cold and then it's not warm enough.

patphil

(7,833 posts)
14. We keep the main floor at 70 degrees, and the upstairs bedrooms at 69.
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:30 PM
Dec 2024

We're both 78 years old. A decade ago the whole house would have been set at 68, but we've had to bump it up a degree or two as we aged.
One thing I can say is that we have in-floor hot water heat, and a gas furnace. This combination makes for steady, even heat throughout the house. I fully recommend in-floor heat if you're building or renovating a house.

dgauss

(1,317 posts)
17. Mid to upper sixties at night. Lower to mid seventies during the day.
Sun Dec 1, 2024, 11:48 PM
Dec 2024

I've found that I can tolerate a pretty wide range of temperatures either way during the day by dressing accordingly. It's different at night. Once the temperature goes much above 70 I don't sleep well no matter what I do. On the other hand, If the temperature at night goes low, even down into the fifties and as long as I have adequate blankets, I can sleep very soundly.

taxi

(2,246 posts)
27. They may be better now than they once were.
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 03:39 AM
Dec 2024

Battery technology means lighter and longer lasting, and the temperature control is probably more reliable.
Early versions meant carrying heavy D cell batteries with short lifespans that were expensive to keep replacing. Also the temperature would get too high, not enough to burn you but enough to put moisture in your socks. With damp socks any drop in temperature is uncomfortably cold.
The lesson learned was that changing into a fresh pair of socks was the best way to warm up cold feet, the hell with electric socks. But that was then. Things are different now, aren't they?

ETA - maybe the batteries were smaller than D, I just remember they were awkward and heavy

KitFox

(302 posts)
23. Winter during the day
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 01:58 AM
Dec 2024

70 and 68 during sleep hours. Summer 80 unless it gets over 100 then 85. I have a heat pump.

love_katz

(3,061 posts)
25. I set the thermostat at 68 during daytime, in winter.
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 02:56 AM
Dec 2024

I usually turn the furnace off at night, unless the outside temperature drops into the 20's or lower. If it gets that cold I set the furnace for 60 degrees.
I have more trouble in the summer. I have portable and window unit air conditioning, I don't have a whole house system, so on the hottest days I set the thermostats on the a/c units between 68 - 72. I block all my windows with those foil covered car shades and close all curtains and blinds. My house is over 100 years old. My folks put new insulation and siding and replaced the old single pane windows with insulated windows back in about 1996. But I think that the insulating material in the windows on the south side of the house has worn out and I don't have the money to replace them.

happybird

(5,373 posts)
29. 60-62
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 03:41 AM
Dec 2024

My bedroom is right above the furnace room so it stays extra warm– which I am not a fan of. I like a chilly bedroom and snuggling down under blankets when sleeping. Had I realized how warm it would stay it here, I would have picked the other bedroom. Plus, hot flashes are no joke. Ugh. I am too lazy to move everything to switch bedrooms, so I keep the AC unit in the window in case it gets too warm and have a heavy curtain that will drop down to cover it on those windy, below 20 degree nights. The new(ish) cats, Bee and Fifi, like it warm in the house so lately I’ve been sneaking the thermostat up to 65-67 for them and pushing the bedroom door almost closed so the AC or fan mode can run in the bedroom at night.


During the day, I wear sweats and fluffy socks and am very comfortable in the 60 degree house.

Dr. Shepper

(3,167 posts)
32. It is 9 degrees Fahrenheit currently
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 06:34 AM
Dec 2024

The thermostat is set to 65. The AC is set to 72 in summer when temps are typically 80-95.

ETA - I’m in North Dakota

Mike 03

(18,459 posts)
33. Kind of embarrassed to say, after reading these temps.
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 07:20 AM
Dec 2024

I get cold at the drop of a hat and have a low tolerance. My therm is set at 75. I will kick it up a degree at times too.

I turn it down at night, but a huge priority on my To Do list is get an electric blanket.

Niagara

(10,655 posts)
34. My internal thermostat seems to run higher compared to other peoples internal thermostat
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 08:05 AM
Dec 2024

In other words, I have a tendency to be what I call "a hot runner", a built-in overworking furnace.


The outside weather has been between 25 to 33 lately, so the ancient non-digital Honeywell has been sitting on 67 during the day and about 64 during the night.


Over the weekend I hear, "Niagara, the thermostat is set on 67 you can turn up the heat if your cold."

Me, "I'm fine. I can't turn up the heat at night anyways because I overheat which results with me having nightmares."

When the weather really drops into the singles or teen digits, I layer my clothing if I get cold during the day. I might turn up the thermostat slightly during the day as well but it gets turned back down at night.

DetroitLegalBeagle

(2,359 posts)
35. Michigan here
Mon Dec 2, 2024, 09:07 AM
Dec 2024

Summer- 70/day, 65/night
Spring/Fall- 65/day, 60/night
Winter- 68/day, 65/night
When we are away on vacation- 60/winter, 78/summer

Wife programmed the thermostat. Personally, I'd probably keep it 68-70 year round, but that's more out of laziness and not wanting to mess with the thermostat.

nmmi

(248 posts)
38. A hot water bottle helps. I'm sitting at the computer with one between my feet
Tue Dec 3, 2024, 11:33 PM
Dec 2024

and I take one to bed. I'm the one that posted upthread
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=2103995
that it's about 63 degrees inside because the furnace has issues with heat regulation on very cold days (even though it has plenty of capacity), and I'm sitting here inside dressed like I normally would be outside on a winter day.

3catwoman3

(26,708 posts)
39. 68-69 on winter days, and 60 at night.
Wed Dec 4, 2024, 06:29 PM
Dec 2024

My Siamese brother and sister kitties keep my feet and legs warm at night, and I often have a big, horse collar style heating pad around my neck, shoulders and down my back.

highplainsdem

(56,044 posts)
44. About 75 year round. Enough south-facing glass that in the winter I sometime have to open windows
Thu Dec 5, 2024, 10:50 AM
Dec 2024

and a glass door to keep the temp below the 80s, and if I can't do that, I have to choose between running the AC when there might be snow on the ground, or closing blinds to slowly lower the temperature. My houseplants love the light, so I rarely close the blinds during the day, but if I open the place up in winter I have to be careful not to get a freezing draft on the plants nearest the outer wall.

Lost power here for 36 hours once after a snowstorm that brought down a lot of trees, but the skies cleared right after the storm, and with the sunshine the indoor temp never went below 60.

bif

(25,511 posts)
45. After years of 68, we finally decided crank it to 70!
Thu Dec 5, 2024, 12:40 PM
Dec 2024

I just turned 70 and froze my ass off all winter. We layered our clothes which sort of did the trick. Finally gave up and decided to turn it up from now on. No more suffering!

jmowreader

(52,294 posts)
47. 68 degrees
Thu Dec 5, 2024, 07:16 PM
Dec 2024

I only have heat, no AC, so I run my furnace at 68 and my ceiling fans in the summer.

Eugene

(65,095 posts)
49. upper 50s low 60s
Fri Dec 6, 2024, 01:09 PM
Dec 2024

Boston. On some spring days, cut the heat and open the windows if the temp goes above 45.

ShepKat

(471 posts)
51. I have a woodstove
Fri Dec 6, 2024, 03:00 PM
Dec 2024

with an enclosed entryway on one side of the room, and an enclosed porch on the other. Opening the doors when it hits 80 or more is my control lol- don't like it getting below 70 We're offgrid with solar

SaveOurDemocracy

(4,513 posts)
53. 65 except my bedroom 63
Fri Dec 6, 2024, 03:28 PM
Dec 2024

I like sleeping in a cooler room.

We have propane heat and costs about $1,000 a tank. Therefore, have to keep the thermostat set low. May have to boost it up a bit as I see I’m less adaptable to the chill as I age (71)

dwayneb

(985 posts)
59. This year - it's 70.
Fri Dec 6, 2024, 10:17 PM
Dec 2024

Live in the Midwest and have a heat pump. Wife used to prefer it at 72-74 but this year she decided she liked it colder which is fine by me. Not sure I could deal with 55F like someone on here mentioned.

While we have a humidifier on the heat exchanger, it's not enough and we usually boil water in the kitchen when it gets below 30F. Otherwise our humidity will drop below 35%. We like to keep it near 50%.

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