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Original poster

What temp should my house be at?

27 replies

forthelifeofpomme · 14/10/2018 20:54

My lodgers keep bumping the temp up and have their radiators on full in their room. They want to sit around in t-shirts and use a summer duvet, I wear full pyjamas and have two thick duvets. I grew up without central heating so I know I probably in the minority here! I pay all the bills - what is a decent temp for us to agree to?

OP posts:
Jackshouse · 14/10/2018 20:57

NHS says 21 for living rooms and 18 for bedrooms.

I find 21 quiet warm so above 18 is fine and my toddler is often naked and is healthy.

PestoSurfissimos · 14/10/2018 20:58

19°C

VenusClapTrap · 14/10/2018 21:00

Our thermostat is set at 17

bottledatsource · 14/10/2018 21:01

My living area is large so yes keep it at 21 but no radiators on upstairs so a lot cooler probably 18

BiteyShark · 14/10/2018 21:01

I remember growing up without central heating and it was bloody awful having to scape ice off the inside of the bedroom windows. For that reason I am now like your lodgers and walk around in tshirts at home. House is usually 20 degrees.

AviatorShades · 14/10/2018 21:02

20+ for me - and that's with wearing thick thermal socks too. Always cold,me

ApolloandDaphne · 14/10/2018 21:02

I like 20 downstairs but cooler in my bedroom.

BertramKibbler · 14/10/2018 21:02

Our thermostat is set at 18

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 14/10/2018 21:02

My thermostat is set at 18. Heating still hasn’t clicked on here in the south east. In this house we put on a jumper if we’re cold.

RollyCow · 14/10/2018 21:03

We have ours at 22C during the day and 18C at night

Nenic · 14/10/2018 21:03

21 at least for me and I refuse to sit inside with a hundred layers on to keep warm.

Livedandlearned2 · 14/10/2018 21:04

I'd say 18 too.

Original poster
forthelifeofpomme · 14/10/2018 21:11

Would it be totally immoral to get an electrician to calibrate our thermostat so it read '23' but actually set at '20'? Grin

OP posts:
Ohyesiam · 14/10/2018 21:14

Have you asked your lodgers toput a jumper on? You have cost and the environment on your sideWink

AuLoinSontVontLesNuages · 14/10/2018 21:16

17° and I often have it (much) colder - but I'm on my own with no children and out of the apartment for most of the day and I'm a fan of wrapping up and wearing big socks and snuggling with a hot water bottle and a blanket on the sofa - When I have guests staying I make sure it's 19° ish which is the government recommended temperature where I live.

Show your loggers some articles on the current state of the planet - it's not just a comfort question - it's an eco responsibilty one.

HundredMilesAnHour · 14/10/2018 21:18

I grew up somewhere cold but now as an adult with my own home, I enjoy the luxury of keeping my home as warm as I want it. I rarely wear jumpers at home and I am currently lying on the sofa in a summer dress. The temperature is around 21-22 although I like the bedroom to be cooler.

I'm much better than I used to be. I used to keep my flat at a constant temperature of 29 degrees. Grin. I kid you not. It's only as I've got older than I find my body is warmer so I don't need tropical temperatures anymore.

Original poster
forthelifeofpomme · 14/10/2018 21:34

I'm such an odd bird then! I love to be chilly in my bedroom and snuggly in bed. I like to cuddle under a blanket with the log burner on downstairs. The sound of the boiler makes me anxious as I feel it's just burning money. I need to get over it! I've had the loft properly insulated and don't have any draughty open fires. Beyond replacing the windows (even more £££) I can't think what else to do. Will talk to lodgers about it.. they are expecting their first DD and if we decide to continue living together (not sure about living with a new born - but that's a different thread) they'll want it sensibly warm (which will be tropical to me).

OP posts:
CrispbuttyNo1 · 14/10/2018 21:39

I grew up in the 70s/80s a big Victorian house with no central heating. In winter there was ice on the inside of the original (single glaze) sash windows, you could see your breath in the air, and I would get undressed and dressed under the blankets. It was harsh. We only had a gas fire in one living room or a coal fire in the other. I vowed that when I had my own home I would have decent heating and be able to sit comfortably in a T-shirt in winter, not wrapped up in layers of clothes.

ileclerc · 14/10/2018 21:46

We don't have a thermostat so no idea what the temp is but I like it warm I don't want to wear layers and layers in the house!

BreconBeBuggered · 14/10/2018 21:47

Do you mean right now, OP? I haven't put my heating on yet at all.

hoping2018 · 14/10/2018 21:48

Bizarrely babies are meant to be slightly cooler (reduces risk of cot death) and a babies room should be 16-18C which feels very chilly to most adults

Original poster
forthelifeofpomme · 14/10/2018 22:03

Yes our heating is on now and has been ever since they moved in. We live in the north east, so fair play really. It hasn't been too bad recently but the outdoor temp tonight is a chilly 2oC (just been out with dog - no coat needed Grin). Just chased up smart meter which I'd originally asked for Sept 2017 - over a year ago and still waiting! I'm thinking knowing the impact of the heating and having some numbers might lessen my anxiety.

OP posts:
MiddlingMum · 14/10/2018 22:11

About 16 - 17 suits me during the daytime but I like the bedroom to be as cold as possible. We'll have windows open even in the middle of winter, and I like to feel a breeze going through the room.

Fredathetortoise · 14/10/2018 22:15

I think the answer is 'whatever temperature you want it to be'. Doesn't really matter how hot or cold any of us have our houses, there's a fundamental mismatch between you and your lodgers in how hot they like it to be. I think you might just have to have a conversation where you explain that you prefer it to be cooler than they do, and if they would like to keep the radiator on high in their room (as opposed to the rest of the house), then they need to pay more for the heating bills.

Original poster
forthelifeofpomme · 14/10/2018 22:36

Middling we are two of a kind!
Fred yes I feel I need to have a conversation with them about it - I'm a people pleaser so i feel I know how that's gonna go... If I had some numbers to back me up I'd feel stronger. Now just need bloody npower to fix me a smart meter. I shall be calling them tomorrow..

OP posts: