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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:
schoolfriend · 20/11/2025 09:57

20 downstairs and about 18 upstairs. It's on all the time. I turn it up a bit in my office as I get cold sitting still.

ThirdStorm · 20/11/2025 09:54

18c but on weekdays the heating only comes on between 1700-2000 and weekends 1500-2000 so during the day it gets a bit cooler.

Biker47 · 20/11/2025 09:54

Mines just on maximum 30 degrees I think it is, but it only comes on for an hour in the morning, then we do it all manually for 1-3 hours at other times of the day when we think we need it.

seaelephant · 20/11/2025 09:52

18, set to come on for an hour in the morning and the evening. If I had it set all the time, it would never switch off as the heat dissipates instantly - it's a balmy 14 an hour after the heating went off!

InterestedDad37 · 20/11/2025 09:41

18°C day, off at night (last night it dipped down to 14°C, but it's in a draughty hallway.)

Itsseweasy · 20/11/2025 09:41

21.5 is ideal for our house and we keep it on pretty much all day but off at night.
We also wear fleeces and have blankets (and cats) on the settee - didn’t realise we feel the cold so much but judging by all the lower temperatures people have we must do!

FunnyOrca · 20/11/2025 09:38

We have it set to 20.5 from 6-8am and 4-6pm. With those two boosts it stays around 18 the rest of the day/night.

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.

2025VibeandThrive · 20/11/2025 09:35

I hate the heating being on. I accept it for the kids. I’d prefer 15 but crank it up to 18 on occasion for them. I’d rather be wrapped up with layers or blankets.

HeadyLamarr · 20/11/2025 09:34

Depends if it's sunny or not - we have a lot of south facing windows which provide a lot of heat on a sunny day. I keep the kitchen door closed to keep the heat in.

Sunny day - 15⁰, dull day 17⁰, windy day 19⁰ (those windows get a bit draughty.)

It used to always be 18-20 but when fuel prices went up I got in the habit of wearing wool socks over my regular socks and putting on a jumper. We have throws on the couches as well.

Allsigns · 20/11/2025 09:34

toffeeappleturnip · 20/11/2025 09:00

Mines 15 right now.

It was 13.5 in the night. I have an electric blanket though which I turned on low at 6am for an hour till I got up. I did the same for my teen too.

16/17 is warm enough for me but I am hot all the time with perimenopause.

I turn it up if my mum and dad come round.

V similar, right down to turning it up for the parents!

We had it on 18 recently and were all roasting. DH and I are the types to layer up, so it felt weird walking around in a t shirt but having the heating blasting. This week it's back to 15/16 and off at night. We all have hot water bottles and the kids are usually sweaty messes if the heating is on.

Winteriscoming80 · 20/11/2025 09:33

This is why I stopped being a sahp and got a job so I could have the bloody heating on as much as I want!

itsthetea · 20/11/2025 09:30

18 is a minimum according to health professionals

out thermostat is set at 19 - the living room runs therefore at 20 or 21 and the upstairs at 18

turn it to 13 overnight - from around 9 till 7 but so far it doesn’t need to operate overnight

Elbowpatch · 20/11/2025 09:29

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.

Ours is ‘on’ 24 hours a day at the same temperature. An analysis of boiler firing times showed that it actually used less gas than when it was set to be on and off during the day and off at night at a slightly higher temperature. Overall gas consumption has decreased and the house is more comfortable.

Starlight1984 · 20/11/2025 09:27

Dontcallmescarface · 20/11/2025 09:19

22 all day and off at night.

Same here. We live rurally and it's an old house so it gets freezing very, very quickly.

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.

MounjaMum · 20/11/2025 09:22

I am always cold - Mine is on 24 day and goes off at 9 pm then on again at 5.30 am. No heating at night.

JackSkellingtonn · 20/11/2025 09:22

Between 20 and 22!

Seawolves · 20/11/2025 09:20

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 have a child who is now on palliative care, his body thermostat struggles to maintain a normal temperature and he often drops to 35.7 overnight and to help him keep warm the heating comes on when the house drops below 20° day or night.

Dontcallmescarface · 20/11/2025 09:19

22 all day and off at night.

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.

Procrastinatrixx · 20/11/2025 09:18

18 during the day, sometimes manually higher if needed. But some of our rooms are warmer than others, and one room is positively freezing, so it depends who is where and for how long. We also run clothes drying racks which warms our living room up.

Babies, young kids and the elderly are recommended to keep it at about 20 for health reasons.

Healthy adults should aim for 16-18 overnight for best sleep, assuming you have a winter duvet etc.

Have you done a heat check of your house, identifying and addressing cold spots with insulated curtains, checking window glazing, draft excluders etc? That’ll improve your heating efficiency. UK houses are very cold by poor design.

vellichoria · 20/11/2025 09:17

20-21 during the day. 19 at night.

Seeline · 20/11/2025 09:13

Ours is set to 18 and is on all day.
The living room reached 18 at about 4pm yesterday - joys of living in an old house with high ceilings.

pollydollydoo · 20/11/2025 09:13

It’s set to 19 or 20 depending on how chilly it feels outside. The house is very well insulated so it stays nice and warm for a long time. I do feel the chill though and I’m often very trigger happy in boosting the temp to 22 or even 23. My husband is nearly always wearing a hoody of some kind, so he thinks the boost isn’t needed, but agrees it’s nicer for the house to be warm rather than cold.