Cooler climates. When do you turn your heat on?

[HeatherC]

It is a cool, dreary, rainy day here in Massachusetts and the house is currently 65. Just turned on the propane fireplace to take the chill out and more for coziness. We haven’t had to use the heat yet and we’re saying we hope to make it till October 1 before we have to. I just realized that is only in a few days.

How cold does it get before you turn your heat on?

 

[Mattieray1982]

From Maine here- Typically we wait until the end of October. But sometimes depending on how chilly it gets a night, the heat pump goes on before that!

 

[TippyThomas]

I only turn mine on when I'm uncomfortably cold during the day. I cover up at night and enjoy the cool air, but I don't want to be cold all day long. I'm not sure what exact temperature it will be when I turn it on but it's all based on personal comfort to me. It'll probably be after a late fall camping trip down south if I had to guess.

 

[Mle8308]

In MA, too. I try to get through October before turning on the heat (oil, it's expensive for an over 100 year old house). I will use a space heater and can usually get by with that for a bit!

 

[kdonnel]

I’ve never understood waiting for a certain date to turn the heat or AC on.

If I am cold I turn on the heat.

If I am hot I turn on the AC.

There have been many days where the AC is on for the second and third floor and the heat for the basement and first floor.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

I used to live in Connecticut and we never turned it off. We had the thermostat set to 71 degrees and when ever the temp dropped low enough, the heat turned on.
I do remember the smell the first time it turned if for the season and it was always a sad day.

It was a brutally hot summer but and so happy to now live in Florida and have very few really cold days.

 

[soccerdad72]

In the Midwest in Sept/Oct, it's not uncommon to have A/C on during the day and heat on at night.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Ontario here, about an hour north of Toronto and, no matter how cold it gets, we push thru until Thanksgiving weekend, the 2nd Monday of October. There are years when it's HARD to make it that long but that's what blankets and hoodies were made for
This year we won't be shivering, apparently this weekend we'll see temps hit low 80's with humidex readings making it feel closer to 86 - supposed to be shattering all kinds of records.

 

[slo]

My house has been 64 a few mornings and I still haven’t turned on the furnace. I wait as long as possible to turn it on - why? Because every year I try to reduce my budget plan amount for the utility company - it’s a challenge every year. This year it went down by $18 - I was very excited. Small victories - LOL!

ETA….I’m in northern Indiana

 

[tvguy]

AC is still on here in California. My wife has sinus issues so has to have the house at no more than 72 degrees overnight. Thermostat (a/c) is set at 76 during the day, 72 at night. It is currently 70 in the house, and 66 outside going to a high of 80. I am looking forward to a normal fall where we don't use ac or heat for October or November.
Our hope is not to have to use any heat until close to Christmas. We have an all electric house with solar panels. My panels in the summer generate more power than we use, so running the ac costs us nothing. In the winter, we use more electricity than our panels make, so heating costs money. But to me, it is very easy to put on a sweater if the house is getting cool. Not so easy to cool off if the house is too warm.

 

[tvguy]

My house has been 64 a few mornings and I still haven’t turned on the furnace. I wait as long as possible to turn it on - why? Because every year I try to reduce my budget plan amount for the utility company - it’s a challenge every year. This year it went down by $18 - I was very excited. Small victories - LOL!

ETA….I’m in northern Indiana

My utility bill has been $23.50 a month every month since April thanks to my solar panels. That is the minimum monthly charge my utility bills for being one of their customers, so we are using zero power from them from about April to October.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It depends on the inside temp more than the outside temp. We turn the heat on when it starts to maintain a 65/66 degree inside temp for the winter time, heat is usually set at 69. We turn on the a/c when it starts to maintain a 77/78 inside temp, a/c is set at 77.

There's never a set day to do it at. We're in a heatwave at the moment with temps being more summertime so the a/c is still running. Mid-next week appears to be the switch over from summer to fall but the daytime temps will probably still mean the a/c rather than the heat. The a/c likely won't be running much but we just won't switch to heat yet.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In the Midwest in Sept/Oct, it's not uncommon to have A/C on during the day and heat on at night.

I'd imagine this depends on where one lives in the Midwest. I don't know too many people actually I'm not sure I know anyone around here that messes with their house like that changing daily twice a day from a/c to heat and back again. I've done what you've said in a car but not for a house.

 

[firefly_ris]

Buffalo. I try to make it to mid-October.

 

[soccerdad72]

I'd imagine this depends on where one lives in the Midwest. I don't know too many people actually I'm not sure I know anyone around here that messes with their house like that changing daily twice a day from a/c to heat and back again. I've done what you've said in a car but not for a house.

Automatic thermostat - we don't touch it at all.

We have days this week where the low is going to be in the 50s and highs during the day near 80.

 

[Moliphino]

Right now the heat will kick on if it goes below 50 in the house, that's where we set the thermostats for the spring/summer when we don't want it to kick on randomly. We haven't hit that yet. At some point we'll probably push that up to 58.

 

[mamamary]

Maryland here. Haven’t needed any heat yet. The coolest it’s gotten was 68 indoors when I woke up. I still have my ac on at night.

 

[Genie+]

DH put the heat on one morning this week. It was 65f in the house. He set to 67f. Good time to make sure your heat is working too.

 

[slo]

My utility bill has been $23.50 a month every month since April thanks to my solar panels. That is the minimum monthly charge my utility bills for being one of their customers, so we are using zero power from them from about April to October.

Holy Moly….this is AWESOME!!
You don’t even want to know what my monthly bill is - makes me

 

[trompettecon]

It is a cool, dreary, rainy day here in Massachusetts and the house is currently 65. Just turned on the propane fireplace to take the chill out and more for coziness. We haven’t had to use the heat yet and we’re saying we hope to make it till October 1 before we have to. I just realized that is only in a few days.

How cold does it get before you turn your heat on?

57 F over here. No heating. Just jeans and a long sleeves shirt.