Where do you set your thermostat?

[shinyhappypeople]

I've gotten a little obsessive about keeping our electric/gas bill low.  It's kind of a personal challenge thing.  I do wonder if I've crossed the line into "crazy unreasonable mom," though.  My poor kids.

 

I live in California.  Most days the highs are in the 50s and the lows are in the 30s. Our house gets cold. (50s if there's no heater on).  (Canadians and Northerners, you can stop laughing hysterically now.  Yes, our definition of "cold" might differ. :) ) .

 

The cold doesn't bother me anymore   A couple of years ago I was obsessive about staying warm, felt super depressed when the house was cold, regularly cranked the heater to 70 degrees (or more), and the bills KILLED us.  So last year I forced myself to go almost cold turkey (ha- see what I did there?) and kept the thermostat at 64.  I adjusted.  My kids were fine.  (We're not talking about babies here, they're both teens and know how to put on socks and a sweater).  This year the challenge is to push it even lower, because the rate tiers have changed and it costs a little more to use LESS energy.

 

So, I'm wondering what others do.   What's the weather like where you're at? Where do you set your thermostat? Have I really become that  extreme?  

[Jean in Newcastle]

I set my thermostat at 70 during the day. That keeps me healthy and out of pain. I set out thermostat at 62 at night. I would not want to visit you, honestly. But your house, your thermostat. And your bank account. We aren’t rolling in money but I save in other ways.

 

 

Edited to add: because of our thermostat placement, I don’t think it actually gets up to 70 in the winter but that’s still where we set it. I’d say that it is probably around 68, so a couple of degrees cooler than the number on the thermostat.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Jean in Newcastle

[TheReader]

I would freeze at 64, BUT, we spent 6 yrs in Brazil with no heat available, so during the few weeks it was cold (50s) it was the same indoors as outdoors, and oftentimes colder indoors because of the concrete and such. Soooo, I vowed never to be cold inside my house ever again. DH is not amused.

 

In the winter, dh turns it down to 69 at night (he would go colder, but that's my personal limit), and puts it up to 71 in the morning, and then I put it up to 73 at least for a little bit to kick the chill out. 

 

When it's in between (like, this week, we've had 30s and 40s, so it's had to stay on; other weeks, it's 50s and 60s, though) we can kick it on for about an hour to kill the chill and then turn it back down and the house maintains the warmth pretty well. 

 

But, after 6 yrs of having to wear wool socks, layers, sweaters, hats, etc., inside......no more. Our heating bill isn't astronomical (the a/c bill is much worse, but dh is in charge of that one, and keeps it cooler than I prefer), and so I just refuse to be uncomfortable at home. O

 

ur basic rule of thumb is if the majority is comfortable in one layer of clothing. So, I can't make it so hot that everyone else is putting on shorts and t-shirts, and they can't keep it so cold that I'm looking for my stocking cap and adding extra layers. Jeans, long sleeve shirt, socks -- fine. Jeans, shirt + sweater, socks + slippers -- too cold (IMO).

[VaKim]

I'm not sure we can really compare. My mom keeps hers at 70, and her house is nice and warm. If I set mine on 70, it feels slightly chilly. I have to turn mine up to 74 in the daytime to be reasonably comfortable. I do turn it back to 68 at night, which is quite cool in my house, but I like it cool at night. Everybody else just puts on more clothes and blankets. 

 

In the summer, Mom has to set her a/c lower than I do mine to be comfortable. She is always amazed how cool my house is with the a/c on 72.

[HomeAgain]

65 here, but we turn off the heat in the rooms we are not in.  Currently only my bedroom and main floor are being heated.  Tonight I'll drop the main floor to 60 and heat youngest ds' bedroom to 65 from about the 58-60 it'll stay at today.  The basement will continue to be unheated unless we have guests over at some point.

[eagleynne]

We're in southwest Indiana and during the fall and winter we set ours at 56/57 at night and 60 during the day. The thermostat is centrally located so most of the house really is whatever it says. The only part that doesn't track is the addition in the back that doesn't have the best insulation and needs to be remodeled.

 

During the summer it's the same temp inside and out because we refuse to pay to turn on the A/C, plus it causes asthma flare ups for some of us.

[MEmama]

We live in Maine. Ours is set at 63 during the day and it turns off at night. It comes back on half an hour before I get up.

 

If it's super cold we might run the stove during the day, and we often like to have it going in the evenings.

[Paige]

We keep it at 68 99% of the time. If I'm not feeling well, I bump it up to 69 or 70. I sometimes think we should go lower because the kids walk around wearing seasonally inappropriate clothes, but then I would freeze! When my parents were here, they froze with the temp at 68 so I turned it up for them. Funny thing is that's what they used to keep the house on in the winter, but I guess age is getting to them. When my MIL is hear, she burns up at 68, but I can't hardly stand to turn it down for her. I'm the only really cold sensitive person in my family.

 

In the summer, we set it on 77. My family feels a little warm but I'd be fine to let it go a little higher and I don't even wear shorts. 

[gardenmom5]

western wa.  similar temps.  highs have been being in the 40s, lows hovering around freezing.

dh is the wimp - and keeps it at 72. . . . however, our house does hold heat well. - and he's the one who has lived in climates ranging from tropical to cold (temps reg. below freezing and snow on the ground all winter.)

I'm the one who delays turning on the heat in the fall, and the a/c in the spring/summer.

 

[SanDiegoMom]

68 during the day , 66 at night. If my husband doesn't get to it. If he does then its 73! During the summer I keep ours at 77, sometimes 76. But it runs non stop of 76 so I try not to do that. 

[regentrude]

70 when I am at home. 67 if I am gone for a few hours. 65 at night.

I hate being cold. 

[happypamama]

70-72 usually. However. We heat our main floor with wood, and our schoolroom can be drafty. DH has determined that a degree or two really doesn’t burn significantly more wood, so he has said it’s totally okay to bump the heat up a bit if I’m cold. We turn the main floor way down at night, somewhere in the 50s-60s. I’m not sure how low he has it set; it’s low enough that it’ll feel mildly chilly but warm enough to keep pipes from freezing.

 

Our upstairs bedrooms are heated with electric baseboards, and we keep them between 68 and 72 usually. I like to be warm but not too warm when we’re sleeping. But also, simply running the baseboards bumps our electricity bill up a fair amount; it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s 70 or 72, just that it’s on at all. The bill will peak in February, which is usually the coldest month here, but it isn’t astronomically higher than November, which is usually the first month we have the heat on in the bedrooms every night.

 

We do have flannel sheets and warm blankets and flannel/fleece pajamas too, which cuts down on the heat needed in the rooms a little.

 

All that to say, see if a few degrees really does make a difference in your bill or not. It might not.

[rainbowmama]

So, I do have a baby and other small kids in the home. Our heating situation also really needs to be revamped. I set my thermostat between 70-74, with the goal of keeping my bedroom above 65 degrees. Being cold really negatively affects my mood.

[hellen]

I had it on 64 or 65 during the day and down to 61 at night but 2 kids are complaining it's too hot at night. I'll probably try 63 during the day and down to 59 at night and see how that goes.

 

Those temps can feel chilly during the day if you're stationary. Sometimes the kids complain it is too cold during the day but other times they are in short sleeves.

[Pawz4me]

65 at night and 69 during the day. I would like it cooler (pesky menopause!) but those are the temps DH and I have compromised on. I'm not miserably hot and he's not miserably cold. The boys like it warmer so when they're home I let them set the thermostat upstairs (where their bedrooms are) wherever they want.

[AngieC]

We are in the midwest and we do 66 overnight and 67 when we are home.  If I had my way, it would be a couple of degrees colder at night. 

[lllll]

nm

Edited December 12, 2017 by _______

[Rachel]

It had been at 65 until the cold snap we had a couple days ago, now it’s at 67. The upstairs, where the kid bedrooms are stays at 68.

[foxbridgeacademy]

The downstairs is set at 70 during the day unless DH is home then it's set to 71 or 72.  At night when DH is at work it's set at 69, when he's at home asleep (during the day) I'll kick it up to 70-71 for him.  We heat/cool 2600 sq. feet and our electric (includes ALL fuel for DH's leaf that he drives 100+ miles a week) runs $200-$275 average, is that a lot?

 

*I adjust according to how we feel and we always side with the person who feels hot because the other people can always put on more clothes.

Edited December 9, 2017 by foxbridgeacademy

[mamaraby]

I live in Wisconsin. During the winter it’s set at 70 during the day and 66 (or 65?) at night. I used to keep it cooler than that, but I get so cold and the layers got so ridiculous that dh asked me to please turn it up. He took it as a sign that he wasn’t providing for us and as much as I tried to explain my money savings plan, he told me to just do it. Well, first he’d just turn it up before he left for work and anytime he was home. But he’s right and I’m miserable when it’s cold so 70 it is.

 

Thermostat swing plays a role in comfort level, too. We just got a newer thermostat and followed the settings. I have been comfortable for the first time.

[KungFuPanda]

Could you crunch the numbers and see if you could come out ahead with a little pellet stove?

 

We keep our house a tad too cold. It makes it hard to move from the couch with the blanket. Once I get layered up and moving it’s fine. I’m the only cold person here.

 

Getting a little space heater that I can easily move to heat up a work area AND my heated mattress pad have greatly improved my quality of life. I do warn my guests that it’s cold here :-/

Edited December 9, 2017 by KungFuPanda

[Element]

Mine is at 72 during the day and 69 from 11PM to 7AM. Sometimes I'll manually bump it up to 73 during the day if it feels particularly cold. We have an EdenPure (infrared electric heater) downstairs that runs 24/7 and a generic infrared heater in our bedroom we run for about 90 minutes before bed. Fortunately, we live in a split level and the bedrooms, kitchen, main living room, and thermostat are all on the upper floor. It's always 5 degrees colder downstairs (unless the woodburner is going. We have an old woodburning stove that we sometimes run on the weekend. 5 or 6 big logs will heat the whole house to above 70 all day. We'd use it exclusively, but it's not the safest thing so we don't use it unattended or overnight.)

We would not get ANYTHING done if the furnace was set below 70 during the day. We'd just sit around in blankets. None of us have any cold tolerance.

[J-rap]

Our winters are very cold, and our house can be drafty.  With a turtleneck and a wool sweater over it, I'm usually warm with 70, although when our kids were all young and home, we kept it around 67 and it didn't feel so bad.  Maybe I'm getting colder!  We do lower it to 58 at night.  The house gets very cold, but under our down comforters we are toasty warm.  

 

In the summer, we usually just let the house get hot.  I love the heat, and I love having all of our doors and windows and porches wide open.  It's generally in the 80's and 90's, but cools off enough at night to sleep.  I do turn on the AC if it gets too humid.  Humidity definitely makes it a lot worse!  We only got AC about 15 years ago though.

[Janie Grace]

We keep it at 68 99% of the time. If I'm not feeling well, I bump it up to 69 or 70.

 

This is me too.

[Ali in OR]

9 months of the year (Oct-June): 67 day, 64 night. We'll manually bump to 68 if we're cold, or turn on the gas fireplace.

summer: 77 (I think that's day and night)

 

We have an energy efficient house, double-paned windows, nice and tight. It is not unusually expensive to keep it to the above temps.

[PrincessMommy]

I'm not sure we can really compare. My mom keeps hers at 70, and her house is nice and warm. If I set mine on 70, it feels slightly chilly. I have to turn mine up to 74 in the daytime to be reasonably comfortable. I do turn it back to 68 at night, which is quite cool in my house, but I like it cool at night. Everybody else just puts on more clothes and blankets. 

 

In the summer, Mom has to set her a/c lower than I do mine to be comfortable. She is always amazed how cool my house is with the a/c on 72.

 

This is what I've noticed.  I can't keep mine below 74 without freezing.  I can't stand being cold, it's depressing to me.  But, I've been to people's houses where there's is set much lower and I don't feel the same.  I don't get it.  

 

AT our old house-  which was bigger and had cathedral ceilings I would keep it at 76 and freeze.

[Rachel]

It had been at 65 until the cold snap we had a couple days ago, now it’s at 67. The upstairs, where the kid bedrooms are stays at 68.

At this house, about 10 years old, it’s actually comfortable set at these cooler temps unless I’m sitting. At our old house, which was 65 years old and had leaky windows, it would have felt cold even if I was moving.

[VaKim]

This is what I've noticed.  I can't keep mine below 74 without freezing.  I can't stand being cold, it's depressing to me.  But, I've been to people's houses where there's is set much lower and I don't feel the same.  I don't get it.  

 

AT our old house-  which was bigger and had cathedral ceilings I would keep it at 76 and freeze.

Hmm. Maybe you are onto something. My house does have higher ceilings than my mom's house. Not cathedral, but still higher than mom's. 

[Mabelen]

Also in California, but higher temperatures than you. Winter time thermostat is set for 70 during day time hours when home, 68 when away, and 65 at night.

[rebcoola]

Set around 70 during the day and and 65 at night  but electricity is really cheap here.

[duckabell]

We set ours to 65, day and night. I usually run around in a fleece. My kids run around in t-shirts. It's funny because 65 in this house feels about the same as 68 in our old apartment. When it gets really cold outside sometimes I'll turn the temp up a couple of degrees. We have old windows and so we usually do the window film trick.

[gingersmom]

70 or 71 if I'm freezing.

 

I run cold year round, I like to be warm.

 

Growing up my house was at 64 and I was permanently cold.

[stephanier.1765]

I'm in Florida and my thermostat is set at 68. It pretty much only runs at night; today has been an exception. If I go lower and I would love to go lower for my comfort at night, my animals can't handle it. They shiver and shake and act like they are dying. I have wimpy pets. If only they'd curl up and keep each other warm.

[rutamattatt]

I hate being cold (and take a long time to warm up once I get cold), so I like to keep it around 69 day/night in the "winter" (TN).

 

DH doesn't mind cold and wants to save money so he likes it to hover somewhere between "penguin and polar bear habitat".   :glare:   The thermostat is a test of our marriage vows.

[ScoutTN]

70 when I am at home. 67 if I am gone for a few hours. 65 at night.

I hate being cold.

This, exactly.

 

We had a heat pump and terrible old windows when dh and I first got married. I swore that when we moved we would have real heat and good windows, and we do. Every year when we first turn heat on, I am reminded to be thankful for it.Our heat is gas and much less expensive than the electric for A/C

[Mabelen]

I'm in Florida and my thermostat is set at 68. It pretty much only runs at night; today has been an exception. If I go lower and I would love to go lower for my comfort at night, my animals can't handle it. They shiver and shake and act like they are dying. I have wimpy pets. If only they'd curl up and keep each other warm.

We have a chihuahua mix who also hates the cold. That is why I don’t go lower than 68 when we are not home. She usually finds a sunny spot to curl up and sleep. We have strategically placed cushions for her for this purpose.

 

At night, she has warm blankets so she is comfortable.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Mabelen

[Elizabeth86]

75 I hate wearing warm clothes and I refuse to be cold. On a side note, unless I'm pregnant we never run the air in the summer.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Elizabeth86

[Frances]

68-69 during the day while we are here and low enough at night that it never turns on, so around 55. I can't stand heat during the night.

 

Edit to add that we're in the PNW.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Frances

[scrapbookbuzz]

When I was growing up, my dad always had the thermostat at 68*F during the winter. If I was cold and would complain, he'd

tell me to put a jacket on. I'd say, "But Dad, I'm INSIDE. I shouldn't have to wear a jacket INSIDE." Now, however, if the temp gets above 68*F in the house, I get hot. Go figure! I realize California's prices are ridiculously high so you have to make that judgement call but I would totally be cold at 64*F INSIDE. Outside, fine. But not inside.

[Zinnia]

In Georgia. I keep it on 65 during the day, 60 at night, and one hour of 68 as we get up and moving in the AM. We have original 1950s Windows and little insulation, so 60 really does feel like 60. You need a couple of blankets

 

It's not terribly cold in here, and I will turn it up. But first, I require my kids to put on long pants, long sleeves, and socks. Usually that makes them comfortable. I am not paying for them to be comfortable in shorts and bare feet. :)

 

We also run dehumidifiers continually, so that adds a little bit of warmth to the air. They act like mini heaters.

Edited December 10, 2017 by Zinnia

[ebrindam]

73-74 in New England. I'm always cold. 

[TravelingChris]

I cannot stand being either cold or hot.  My various autoimmune diseases have destroyed my body's ability to easily regulate my own body temperature.  (I also do not sweat hardly at all so cannot cool down either).  So we keep the temperature around 72.  Now that is the temperature in the hall.  In the bedrooms, it is a bit warmer.  In the main living areas, it is quite a bit colder because of high ceiling in our main room and family room is on bottom level too.  We use throws in the family room.  I am okay in the main room as long as I am wearing long sleeves.  I do not want to have to wear sweaters, etc. in the house.  Our heating is gas and never as expensive as our AC which we also keep at around 72 to 74.  However our house is in the woods so it doesn't get as hot as many houses.  Our total utility bills range from around 400 to around 600 normally and that includes water (and we have a pool and extensive landscaping), gas, electric and trash.  It doesn't seem particularly expensive considering the size of our house and hasn't gone up hardly any in the six years we have lived here.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Indiana, 65 in winter, 77 in summer. We're about keeping bills down.

[Tap]

We are at about 70* year round.  We are in the PNW and a 16yo house.  Our bill doesn't go over $200 even when we run the heat or AC constantly, so while that isn't cheap, it isn't the $400 bills that our friends have in California or Arizona.  Part of it is the cost of electricity, but part of it is the differential between outside and inside temps.

 

 

I would Hate to be in my house below 64*, especially in the damp air.  I would leave the house and just not be there at all if I had to keep it that cold during the day.  I will violently shiver if I get too cold, so being cold isn't an option for me. Sitting around the house...to me  68 is chilly, 66 is cold. 

 

[Butter]

70-79 downstairs/68-82 upstairs (we have those thermostats that keep the temperature between two set points; we have two a/c units, one upstairs and one downstairs) during the day and 64-82 downstairs/66-77 upstairs at night.  It's 72 downstairs currently and the heat hasn't run since early this morning.  I live in San Antonio.  Our high today was 66.

[lavender's green]

66 at night and 68 during the day. 66 keeps everyone comfortable with the air flow and blankets in our rooms (baby's room is small and gets warm very quickly; our room is large and cold but we have a down blanket; other rooms are in between, but the bigger kids know how to put on a sweater and extra blankie). 68 is a good temp when we're active, but not too cold when we're inactive and under a blanket on the couch. These temps also keep us from getting uncomfortably dry.

 

Outdoor temps are typically below freezing at night. It can vary a lot during the day depending on the cloud cover and storm fronts coming over the mountains. I've had New Years Day picnics in 70 degree weather, but right now it's cloudy and snowy. 40s may be a normal winter daytime average...?

 

I enjoy a nice invigorating cold and have more cold tolerance than many. I just can't stand the cold-to-the-bone feeling I used to get in most houses growing up in Michigan. I'm not sure what those houses were set to, but mine has the feeling of "comfortable-to-mildly-invigorating" but also not drying from all the heat.

[Teachaheart]

Great Lakes region here. I shoveled snow today. Our thermostat is at 61 or 62 at night and when no one is home. The bedroom window is always cracked a little for fresh air, and the vent is mostly closed. When people are home during the day, we set it between 63 and 65 depending on the outside temperature, wind, and where in the house people are. We also have a couple electric space heaters to use as needed. I do turn the heat up if I'm expecting guests.

[Ellie]

66 during the day, 70 at night.

[Arcadia]

My central heating and air-con is never used. For summers we escape to the nearby library. For winters my kids wear their fleece jackets at home and to sleep. They have three blankets each on their beds currently because they want to have choices. Our indoor temperature range from 50s to 80s though as we live in a condo and have neighbors on either side, upstairs and downstairs. The wind chill is from the main door and patio doors. I’m near San Jose.

[Joker]

Mine has been parked at 72 for a while now. No changing for day or night. We had snow today. We have one of those fireplace / TV Stand things (we have an actual fireplace but it's tiny and we hate using it) with a thermostat. At night, while we're all hanging out in the family room I turn it on and it's set to 68 so it cuts off and on as needed and keeps us warm. Our electric bill stays around 100/mo and our gas bill stays around 70/mo so I'm good.