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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Your thermostat temperature?

193 replies

wallypops3 · 20/11/2025 08:56

So it’s cold and in our home the annual heating debate has begun. Dh thinks it’s acceptable to have the thermostat on 16. I would be far happier with 20 but we have compromised at 18 although he still complains about this and the cost.

We have a log burner which does heat the downstairs quite well but when we go up to bed it’s freezing. He doesn’t feel the cold like me and I genuinely dread this time of year and having to argue just to feel warm in my own home.

OP posts:
GasPanic · 20/11/2025 11:03

I am literally my own thermostat.

I just hit the boost button for an hour or so when I think it is getting too cold.

lazyarse123 · 20/11/2025 11:02

We don't set ours. Just put it on as and when usually about 20. We are retired though and sit about a lot.
It's a park home and not insulated very well. If we feel cold just turn it up and occasionally put the thermostat in the bedroom because that doesn't seem to get warm but then we're stifling in the living room. Never have it on overnight. But if I wanted it on I would put it on and so would dh.

butterycroissants · 20/11/2025 10:49

18.5. Anything hotter and I start getting a headache and dry skin, as well as a stuffy nose. Always off overnight though.

StruggleFlourish · 20/11/2025 10:49

Peridoteage · 20/11/2025 09:09

it's never on at night. I don't understand anyone that has the heating on overnight. What a waste of money.

Some people's homes may be less well insulated than yours, at the night the temperature can drop to very low levels and you could get too cold even in bed!

Plus depending on how your house is constructed, the age of the insulation, how many windows, what the weather is, and how the wind hits your house, if the house is unheated during the night, can cool down too quickly you get massive condensation on the windows and in the morning pools of water at the bottom of your window sills and that could be quite damaging.
It's better to have a moderate temperature consistently than it is to go from extremes of heat full on to heat completely off but, whatever works for you. You know your house best.
Wouldn't work for me. Although, I keep mine at 10° overnight which isn't very warm

Elbowpatch · 20/11/2025 10:48

PinkFootstool · 20/11/2025 10:27

They really are.

You can replace them with anything you like, including a wireless thermostat system. I'm not pretending it costs 50p, but it could be an investment some people haven't considered.

Perhaps if you know what you are doing, or are prepared to pay someone who does.

Otherwise, they are not simple to move or replace with a wireless thermostat system.

I know because I have done it.

StruggleFlourish · 20/11/2025 10:46

Mine is set at 14° daytime, 10° overnight.
Down 1° from last year,
1° from the year before that,
1° from the year before that.
Heating costs are just too high.
I can dress warmly, use hot water bottles, more blankets at night etc.

When visitors come to the house, there are slippers and nice big warm zip up hoodies for them and I do put the heat up a few degrees to about 17 and to me it feels like the tropics because I'm a climatized to the cool house.

lazyarse123 · 20/11/2025 10:46

Elbowpatch · 20/11/2025 09:04

I’m not making sense? You have turned it up from 18 to 20 so it won’t get colder, it will stay at 20.

Edited

Pp means the thermostat is set at 18 or 20 not that that's the temperature that it actually is.

Silverbirchleaf · 20/11/2025 10:41

Recently turned up to 20. Was at 18 up to last week. Not on at night.

RedPony1 · 20/11/2025 10:38

i find 18 cold. no amount of electric blanket is going to warm up the air around me.

Ours is 22 when we are home and 19 at night

Zippedydodah · 20/11/2025 10:36

17° during the day, I also light the wood burner most afternoons, frost protection level at night. I really dislike a warm bedroom, I prefer the be cosy in bed but not have the room heated.

Teenytwo · 20/11/2025 10:28

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 20/11/2025 09:06

19.5 - but it's never on at night. I don't understand anyone that has the heating on overnight. What a waste of money.

I do night feeds, pretty cold sat still and topless in the middle of the night while my baby feeds. My baby doesn’t want to
go down when it’s cold either. Not a waste of money to me!

PinkFootstool · 20/11/2025 10:27

Elbowpatch · 20/11/2025 09:36

All those commenting on the imperfect locations of their thermostats - you do know they are quite easy to move?

Hard wired ones aren’t.

They really are.

You can replace them with anything you like, including a wireless thermostat system. I'm not pretending it costs 50p, but it could be an investment some people haven't considered.

squashyhat · 20/11/2025 10:27

19 degrees 7.30-9.30 and 5.30-7.30. The rest of the time it's usually off unless it needs a boost for an hour mid-afternoon. We do have a woodburner to supplement but that's only used in the evenings. Currently 15.5 and I'm fine.

Fearfulsaints · 20/11/2025 10:25

PinkFootstool · 20/11/2025 09:25

All those commenting on the imperfect locations of their thermostats - you do know they are quite easy to move?

And to add more thermostats around the house so you can set different temperatures if you want?

Smart thermostats are more expensive but it could make a huge difference for some people in terms of comfort.

I was pointing out that my thermostat might be set at 18 but its not necessarily comparable to someone elses set at 18 rather than feeling my heating us set up wrong.

I know the temperature where both are located will be 18. But if somones has their's in a cold spot the heating will come on to heat the cold spot to 18, but the warm bits of thier house will often also be heated at the same time, and could easily be 20. And my warm spot might hit 18 from solar gain, so the heating isnt on, but my cold areas are actually 16. But we'd both be saying our thermostat is 18. Id be saying i was cold and might set it to 19 to trigger the heating, and they'd be saying they were hot and how could anyone have it higher.

CoolDipCanineLover · 20/11/2025 10:23

I keep mine at 19 degrees during the day 6am-10pm.
I work from home so have to have some heat as I'm not really moving around all that much. No heating at night.

babyno2duejuly2026 · 20/11/2025 10:09

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 20/11/2025 09:06

19.5 - but it's never on at night. I don't understand anyone that has the heating on overnight. What a waste of money.

Some people have small children, are unwell or may be elderly……..

Imamumgetmeoutofhere · 20/11/2025 10:09

Natsku · 20/11/2025 09:19

Don't have a central thermostat but the air heat pump is set to 21 usually, the electric radiators are set to about 20 and the few radiators that are heated by the boiler are set full blast (because otherwise they don't work). Thermometer on the lounge wall generally shows around 20, kitchen (where full blast radiator is) around 23.

Off topic but how do you find a heat pump generally? Both for heating and hot water and financially? We are moving soon to a home with one from our current home with a gas boiler and I don’t know anyone with one

GiantTeddyIsTired · 20/11/2025 10:08

Heating only works downstairs. Have that set at 20. Bedrooms have electric heaters that the kids use if they are hanging out during the day, but which turn off at night.

My bedroom was 16 when I went to bed last night, and 13 when I woke up this morning - kids rooms were probably a bit warmer, and we are fine with that - BUT - that's because we all have heated under-blankets - so when we're in bed, we're perfectly warm. If my room falls below about that 13 then my ears do get cold, so I either add a heater, or wear a hat/hoodie and I'm happy again.

I can't recommend heated underblankets enough - I rather like a cool bedroom, but getting into a toasty bed.

Dontcallmescarface · 20/11/2025 10:07

PinkFootstool · 20/11/2025 09:25

All those commenting on the imperfect locations of their thermostats - you do know they are quite easy to move?

And to add more thermostats around the house so you can set different temperatures if you want?

Smart thermostats are more expensive but it could make a huge difference for some people in terms of comfort.

Mine's hard wired in so not easy to move at all and I suspect my LL would take a very dim view of me making any alterations to their house.

Zitroneneis · 20/11/2025 10:06

Ours is set at 21

Imamumgetmeoutofhere · 20/11/2025 10:06

Our house is about 20 years old. Detached, fairly well insulated. We have our thermostat at 18 between 6am-10pm and then 16 10pm - 6am. Will occasionally boost it to 20 if very cold

HansHolbein · 20/11/2025 10:05

Doesn’t go below 22, day or night.

zingally · 20/11/2025 10:04

19C normally. 19.5C if I'm feeling extra cold! DH doesn't seem to have any opinion one way or the other!

We don't have ours on in the morning. We're all good at getting up and out promptly, so don't hang around. It seems silly to us to heat the house, for the sake of an hours getting ready. We all have electric blankets in our beds, and the kids will put their oodies on over their uniforms until they're ready to leave.

My thermostat currently says 14.5C, but I'm going out in a couple of hours, and it seemed like a waste to get the house up to temperature, to promptly then go out for 6 hours. I've got my own oodie on, and have just had a hot drink. The sofa has blankets, so I'm good.

The heating will go on when I get home at about 5:30.

ReignOfError · 20/11/2025 10:04

I’m one of those old people some of you turn the heat up for. Mine is lower than most of you!

18 for an hour in the morning, 16 during the day, 18 for a couple of hours in the evening, and 8 overnight - it’s never come on at night as far as I know.

The upstairs windows are always open a little, and I open those downstairs for at least 15 minutes a day.

HorrorFan81 · 20/11/2025 09:58

I would be raging if my DH controlled when I could have the heating on. We have it on for 1 hour in the morning and evening to 22. I sometimes put it on during the day for an hour too (I wfh). Otherwise I have a heated blanket and lots of layers. But if I randomly decide I want it on for another hour in the evening I just put it on