Where do you set your thermostat?

[solgent]

For people who live where it's cold in winter,

Where do you set your thermostat?

Let's answer regarding during the day when people are home. Not at night or when the house is empty.

Is your main concern cost, comfort, environmental impact?

Also, very important aspect-- do you pay for your own heat?

Just curious.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

I said between 67-69. I can't stand to be cold in my house. I don't expect to be able to run around in shorts, t-shirts and barefooted but I hate the feeling that I can't get warm. In the house, I'll wear jeans, or sweatpants and I'll wear a long sleeve shirt and sometimes a sweatshirt over top of the long sleeve shirt and I always have socks and shoes/slippers on and I still keep it at 68. Sometimes if I'm especially cold I have been known to bump it up to 72 until I get warm and then I'll reset it to 68.

I know one lady who keeps her house at 62-63. She says she just bundles up/layers up and stays covered up on the couch . I don't want to have to live like that.

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

We live in Connecticut and it has been pretty chilly here the last couple of days and with the Oil prices so expensive , we've been trying to bundle up more at home. Well this weekend I had to break-down and turn on the heat . Trying to save anywhere I can....ugh!

 

[can'twait]

DH usually sets it to 68 and I hate it. I'm always cold. I swear they put the A/C on during the winter at work. I can't even warm up during the summer because they set the A/C to "meat locker" at work and DH does the same at home. He's already announced that with the oil prices lately, we will be freezing this winter. "Put on a sweater". Normally I would protest but this year I agree. Electric blankets and hot chocolate for everyone! More cuddling, I guess????

 

[BethR]

I just got done changing the settings on our (new!) programmable thermostat.
I just set our daytime temp to 68 degrees. I don't like to be cold either, but I figured that it should be ok when I have a sweatshirt or sweater on and am doing things around the house.

But if I find myself feeling cold, I will definately bump the temp up.

We just got a new furnace and AC, so I am very curious to see how the new furnace will affect our gas bills.

 

[PatsGirl]

For the first 20 years of my adult life, I set the temp at about 63-65. About 5 years ago I decided I work too hard, life is too short, and I really, really, hate being chilly, so now I set it at 70 -- I'll pay through the nose this year I know, but can you put a pricetag on comfort?

Brenda

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

but can you put a pricetag on comfort?
Brenda

No Way! I'll cut back on other things but I hate being cold!

I just set our daytime temp to 68 degrees. I don't like to be cold either, but I figured that it should be ok when I have a sweatshirt or sweater on and am doing things around the house.

You should be fine, Beth. I used to keep the temp set at 72 but for the past 3 years I've been fine as long as I wear long sleeves and sometimes a sweatshirt and it's really not cumbersome to do house work with. Plus, doing housework you're moving around. On occasions I do have times where I just can't seem to get warm no matter what and that's when I'll bump the heat up temporarily.

We have electric heat (heat pump) and for the first time it looks like those with electric heat will be paying the lower prices for heat.

 

[tbelfonti]

When we are home it's set to 66º. When we're not home: 60º. At night? 62º

We have a programmable thermostat and the night time temp was set higher because of the baby last year. I may adjust it back down to 60º.

 

[Lorikr65]

Hi!

We live in Connecticut and it has been pretty chilly here the last couple of days and with the Oil prices so expensive , we've been trying to bundle up more at home. Well this weekend I had to break-down and turn on the heat . Trying to save anywhere I can....ugh!

Me too!! I live in RI and I was holding out for Nov. 1 but DH couldn't take it anymore!!

 

[ohiominnie]

We have all electric (heat pump) which, IMHO, does a lousy job of "warming" a house. How can the temperature of your house go up when the air coming out of the vents is COLD??

We set our thermostat in the 70-71 range, but it never seems that warm. Most of the time in the winter it doesn't even turn on much because we have a fireplace insert (propane) that pumps out LOTS of heat....and it's in the same room as the thermostat!!! We warm the downstairs with that. Upstairs is usually pretty chilly, but heated mattress pads take care of that problem.

Our sunroom does not have duct work, so we use an oil filled radient heater in there.

Today the thermostat is set at 74 because I want to make sure it's working well before the bitter cold sets in and I had to bump it up just to get it to turn on!

 

[mickeyfan2]

Where do you set your thermostat?

70. DH would love it colder. He thinks meat locker is too warm.

Is your main concern cost, comfort, environmental impact?

I set it for comfort. When we designed our home, we made it very energy efficient, so we could afford not to be cold. Thus we are concerned about all three, but took steps to make all three a reality. On Sunday I had our front blind open and the house rose 3 degrees in about an hour.

Also, very important aspect-- do you pay for your own heat?

Yes, we have propane fired hot water (both baseboard and underfloor).

 

[BethR]

I just realized that there were questions that I did not answer for the OP.

Is your main concern cost, comfort, environmental impact?

For us, primarily comfort but cost plays a big role since, if we set the temp without thought to cost, it would probably be in the 73-74 degree range - if not warmer. That is why I decided to put the daytime time, when it is just me and I am moving about the house, at 68 degrees. I did program it for 72 in the evening but 60 degrees for overnight.

We also now have a humidifier, so that is suppposed to help the air feel warmer too.

Also, very important aspect-- do you pay for your own heat?

Yes, we do.

 

[Reese]

I'm in Canada so it gets pretty chilly. I have ours set to 68 during the day. Dh turns it down to 60 after the kids have their baths (7:00) so the only problem is when I get home at 11 and have a shower I think I have ice cubes dripping off my hair, LOL. It gets turned up about an hour before the kids get up.
We do it for conservation....of our money that is .

 

[nelle]

Our thermostat is set at 60 all the time. We heat mostly with a wood fireplace insert that we bought 2 years ago and only use fuel oil as a backup. Before the insert we had to get fuel oil delivered once a mo. but with the insert we only filled up once last year and still have a half a tank left.

 

[budbeerlady]

It cost me in Sept 564.00 to fill our propane tank. Now that should last us untill April (lets hope) but this year we are going down to 66 when we are home and 58 when we are not. I already am paying $50 a week in gas, so I hate to see what heat will go up to this winter!

 

[SoVeryBlessed]

I live in New Hampshire & we have it set just under 70. We use blankets while watching TV at night. My only concern is we have a parrot & he needs it warm. I'm curious if anyone else has birds and what they do to keep them warm? I read somewhere that a portable heater may give off 'a smell' that can be harmful to their respiratory system? So, bottom line is... I am willing to freeze, but my bird can't? Now that I say that it doesn't sound too intelligent

 

[Paull117]

This really depends on the time of day. 5:30am - 7:00am 68 wake up time 7am- 4pm 60 everyone is gone except for the dog and cat. They have fur coats. 4-10pm 68 you get the point 10-5:30 66 sleepy time. Last year it was 68,63,70,68 with the price going up I have made a few changes to the programming I will see if my num of therms used will change. If it is for the better we will keep it if it is for the worse I will adjust.

Paul

 

[pearlieq]

We're going to be in the 66-67 range for the winter. We leave the temperature constant as the cats are home all day and we don't want them to freeze! In the past I've gone as low as 63-64 all day but I couldn't do that to the kitties!

My primary concern is cost followed equally by environmental impact and comfort. We most certainly do pay for our own heat, and I think our worst monthly bill last winter was around $180. Across the whole year we average about $90-95 per month for natural gas.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I keep our thermostat set at 65. But I heat with a woodstove 95 percent of the time. The only time the other heat comes on is if the fire goes out during the night. With the woodstove, i only had the propane tanks filled once. I have plenty of propane from last year. My house is usually 75 degrees with the woodstove going. Before I had the woodstove installed my house was never warmer than 65. Wood is still reasonably priced.

aw:

 

[MrsNick]

We usually keep it at 66-67, but if energy prices go up as much as predicted, I think we'll be keeping it a 3-5 degrees cooler, and I'll be putting on the layers. (We pay for our heat)

DH and Dear Dog will be thrilled. They both love it cold.