How warm in the house?

[Backwoods Savage]

From time to time a thread is started asking what temperature people keep their homes. For the most part I have been guessing based upon that once upon a time when we had an indoor thermometer. However, doing an addition to the house we had to remove one of our outdoor thermometers so it is sitting right by me. My wife just put some wood in the stove, "before it gets too cool." So, I looked at the thermometer and it sits at 82 degrees.

Yesterday afternoon we were both outdoors and got a bit chilled in that chilly wind so when we came indoors we first put more wood in the stove. The warmest we got was 86 degrees. I removed my shirt when it hit 85 so then I sat with my t-shirt being the only shirt I had on and this is how I dress in the house most of the time.

Again I go back to a question I always wonder about. Why is it that folks don't seem to be happy in the summer months until the temperature gets over 80 degrees but in the winter month keep their homes at 70 or below? I've never quite understood that. I do understand that those who are outdoors a lot have some changes in the body and can stand lower and lower temperatures but what about those who are indoors in the winter months? Okay, maybe they, at work have to work in cooler temperatures so get used to it. However, I do notice that most of those types also wear rather heavy clothing to work. I'm stumped. In the meantime, we'll keep our house in the 80's.

One more point is that in the summer, most folks want the house temperature to be in the high 70's. Why there in summer and lower in winter?


So, how warm (or cool) do you keep your home?

 

[johnstra]

Low to mid 70s in winter is comfortable to me and my family. If it gets above 75, we all start panting. Now that temperature is measured in a central area, so it's hotter closer to the stove. It also depends on how cold it is outside.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

John, would you not want the same indoor temperature regardless of the outdoor temperature?

 

[BrotherBart]

I am a happy camper when it is 74 inside. Winter or summer. Same with outside. 74 is nice.

 

[GAMMA RAY]

Dennis, we are happy with upper 70's even 80....that's inside and outside temps....if the inside temp goes up past 80 then we have to make sure the blinds are tilted shut a bit.... ;-P

 

[laynes69]

We heat with a woodfurnace which in the dead of winter is set for 72*. In the shoulder season it stays around 74 to 75 if their is a small fire. Now it's 72* in here and there hasn't been a fire for at least a day and the kids are chilled and so is the wife. We don't get the extreme temps like a stove would have, but when theres nothing going through the ductwork the air isn't circulating and it feels cooler. Since we have tightened up the home the lower 70's is perfect. In the summertime anything over 80 is uncomfortable. We don't have central air, it takes a good stretch of high temps to finally warm the interior of our home.

 

[begreen]

Indoors, 70ºF is comfortable for me. With the stove going we have the house at 72-74F. At 80F I would have windows open.

We got our first warm day yesterday. Doing a lot of yard work, I stayed in a tshirt until late afternoon. It hit 64ºF outdoors.

 

[jeff_t]

Thermostat says 72-74 most of the time in the winter, a/c is set at 74 in the summer. I work outside, and still like a warm house. I'm pretty comfy up to 76, then I crack a window or the front door.

 

[leeave96]

Pre-woodstove, we had the furnance set at about 68ish - sometimes 72 when everyone was chilled. Overnight, thermostat down to 60 degrees. Put in the woodstove and suddenly if it ain't 77-80 degrees during the day, everyone is freezing and if we wake-up and the house is 65 degrees, one would think the pipe were going to freeze and bust it's soooo cold.

I think the difference between summer and winter temps is the humidity levels - nice warm dry air in the winter - hot humid weather during the summer.

Bill

 

[heatwise]

winter anywhere from 62 to 72 when its dry, but as we all know humidity makes it feel cooler so ill try to take it up to 74 or so when im home. a/c is set on 74 in the summer and if its rainy out ill bump it up to 76.

 

[RNLA]

Not warm enough! I would prefer 74 - 78 so I could get back into shorts and tee shirts.....

 

[gyrfalcon]

Again I go back to a question I always wonder about. Why is it that folks don't seem to be happy in the summer months until the temperature gets over 80 degrees but in the winter month keep their homes at 70 or below? I've never quite understood that. I do understand that those who are outdoors a lot have some changes in the body and can stand lower and lower temperatures but what about those who are indoors in the winter months? Okay, maybe they, at work have to work in cooler temperatures so get used to it. However, I do notice that most of those types also wear rather heavy clothing to work. I'm stumped. In the meantime, we'll keep our house in the 80's.

One more point is that in the summer, most folks want the house temperature to be in the high 70's. Why there in summer and lower in winter?


So, how warm (or cool) do you keep your home?

"Folks want"? Not this folk. I prefer it cool both winter and summer. Lucky me, I live in Vermont and get what I want on that score. I'm happiest at low 70s year-round. Folks around here tend to start getting the vapors when it gets up to mid-80s in summertime.

I have English friends who've visited a couple times and they start perspiring and panting for breath and looking for air-conditioning when the weather gets into the 70s, and think they're going to die when it's below freezing in winter. It's all in what your body's thermostat is used to.

But there's for sure a psychological factor at work. After dark, hot weather seems hotter and cold seems colder. I'm crusing happily during the day in the low 60s indoors these days, but yet when it gets dark, that 62 or 63 seems darn chilly and I fire up the stove.

 

[DexterDay]

I am Still not heating with wood. Wont be till this coming winter. But we have kept our home at 75-77 degree range with pellets for the past 3 years. With the rising cost of pellets and the uncertainty of the future of Fiber. I got 9 tons of pellets and I picked up an Englander 30-NC not to long ago, off of a Forum member here who was moving. I had a Husqvarna 435, just went out and bought a 455 Rancher (should have got a 346 XP, oh well, next year) and 21 ton MTD splitter this Friday. So I am hoping next winter to be a good one. Just ordered steel brackets for wood racks (couple different kinds) Only about a cord here at the house, but I have alot of wood on the ground, just needs to be c/s/s. With the 9 tons of pellets and hopefully a good year of C/S/S. I should be able to crank the heat next year. Sorry so long winded. Looking forward to my time spent in the Hearth Room, Wood Shed, and Gear forums.

 

[weatherguy]

Im with gyrfalcon, I dont like heat in the winter or summer, 72 is nice year round, once it hits 80 I sweat like a sweathog. With the low dew points in winter 74 is nice and comfy in the house, dry and 70 outside is nice in summer.

 

[johnstra]

Dennis - If it's below zero and blowing out, I don't mind it being a little on the hot side in the house. I should also say, we keep our bedrooms quite cool. I don't mind upper 50s where I sleep.

 

[HotCoals]

It's the humidity silly! lol

Seriously the drier the heat the less hot it "feels".

 

[PapaDave]

70-72 is fine with me, winter or summer. Not too hot, not too cool, but just right.

 

[Bub381]

I will tell ya 1 thing and i believe that anybody that spends any amount of time outside will agree. I can dress for the cold weather but that darned damp spring air goes right through ya. Being around the salt water you'll find that out.If you go camping on the islands you'll learn to keep your clothes inside your sleeping bag to keep them not just warm but dry.Darned s/w breeze.By the way,wood stove going in this fall but with oil heat we keep 66 in winter which is cold but i would prefer mid 70's yr round.

 

[Adabiviak]

Our central heating is set to 68°F when we turn it on. When using the fireplace, our target temperature is anything between 65°F and 85°F (colder than that and the fire is probably out; higher than that, and the windows are getting opened to cool things off).

 

[Jaugust124]

Just came upstairs to check the forum and I noticed it was rather warm up here, but still comfortable. Checked the thermostat and it read 67. In the winter we live with low to mid 60s upstairs and prefer low 70-72ish downstairs. Haven't had a fire going in a couple days, before that it was about a week. Not sure when the next one will be, maybe fall. Temps supposed to go into the upper 60s low 70s so we may very well be done for the season.
In the summer, I like low 70s inside and out, but tolerate up to about 80. After that I need the a/c going. Where I split my wood is a bit shady so I can still work in the summer heat in the mornings and early evenings. Once it hits upper 80s and 90s I'm generally miserable. Unless of course I'm hanging out on the deck of a cruise ship docked at some Caribbean island. That always makes things much more tolerable.

 

[woodsmaster]

It may have some to do with humidity, but I like it hotter in the winter and cooler in the summer. I usually work outdoors so I like to come home to a toasty house after working all day in the cold and oppisite for the summer. Don't use a thermostate to judge comfort. I just go by whatever fells cofortable.

 

[fossil]

80°F is uncomfortably warm for me. I'm most comfortable at 72°F - 74°F. Rick

 

[tfdchief]

I am a happy camper when it is 74 inside. Winter or summer. Same with outside. 74 is nice.

That's about right for me. Now my wife is a little different and that difference varys from time to time :kiss: So I just ask her what she wants.

 

[fishingpol]

74 - 76 down stairs is our magic number in the winter. It just settles there with the stove running. The other thing that settles is the neighbors that don't want to leave the warm house, but it is ok to have them here.

 

[bogydave]

I strive for 72 inside in the winter.
70 to 74 is the range we seem to stay in.
I open doors/windows at 77.
I melt at 85.
Summers with the heat is off, anything above 60 is nice & fans get running above 70 (which was rare last year).
The rainy summer days we bump on the furnace to 65.
Our avg weather temps: (don't click on record lows, too scary)
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/99687