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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask what you think a normal house temperature is?

262 replies

HavelockVetinari · 13/12/2018 09:46

DH grew up with parents who have the thermostat set to 23 degrees day and night - to me this is swelteringly hot, and I sleep without covers on (or the window open if I can get away with it!). My parents, on the other hand, set theirs to 18 or 19 degrees during the day, and 16 degrees at night.

DH prefers a warmer house, I prefer a cooler one, so we have frequent heating wars!

What do you consider a 'normal' temperature for a UK home?

OP posts:
ApproachingATunnel · 14/12/2018 23:12

20.5 - perfect temperature, day and night:)

SarfE4sticated · 14/12/2018 23:25

17 degrees here constantly, but upped to 20 for an hour in the morning and evening when we get in. House has lots of drafts which I quite like, can't bear hot stuffy house.

MissMisery · 15/12/2018 15:12

People have the heating on at NIGHT?! Shock

moanymoaner · 15/12/2018 15:17

My living room is currently 21 as we have the fire on but rest of the house is about 15/16. We are only putting heating on for about an hour a day.

Fairylea · 15/12/2018 15:21

I can’t imagine having the heating on at night!

We have it on about 20 during the day.

This is the first year in a long time we’ve been able to have the heating on all day - or at all apart from an hour burst in the morning and evening to stop mould. We were extremely low income and just couldn’t afford it. Heating is a luxury for a lot of people. It’s horrible being cold.

Blueskywhy · 15/12/2018 16:05

i prefer 18c and like wearing a sweater, dh prefers 20c and is ALWAYS in t shirts

IAmW0manHearMeRoar · 15/12/2018 16:06

I like it warm, I don't want to have to layer up in my own home.
It's currently 20•c in our house right now and I'm a bit chilly.
I could put a jumper on but I'm cluster breastfeeding a very demanding baby and that would be a huge hassle!
It was 18•c in the night and I had woolly pjs on and still slightly cold. But we only have a sheet on the bed not a duvet.
Had the radiator on recently and it was 23•c in the night - I was very happy!
DH is always complaining he's too hot though!

IAmW0manHearMeRoar · 15/12/2018 16:07

Isn't it normal to have heating on at night - when it's colder. Confused

ForalltheSaints · 15/12/2018 16:10

About 20C for my house. Though for older people, those less mobile, perhaps higher.

I think a lot also depends on how long you are in the house on a given day and where else you have been.

Ivegotthree · 15/12/2018 16:10

We have our heating on for a couple of hours in the early morning and a few hours at night.

Our house is a big draughty Victorian terrace and we set the (ancient) thermostat to 20.

Our house seems colder than many peoples houses. I was brought up to put another jumper on if I was cold so tend to do that rather than crank up the heating.

Stephisaur · 15/12/2018 16:11

18-20C in our house.

We shut the doors to warm the rooms faster if needs be.

Ivegotthree · 15/12/2018 16:11

I think it's weird having the heating on at night!

Have a hot water bottle and put another blanket on the bed. It strikes me as rather unhealthy but I'm sure that's rooted in snobbery rather than anything else.

CanSurvive · 15/12/2018 16:15

18 during the day. 24 would make me ill! Although I have a friend that when I visit I have to consciously remember to wear a vest top and loose trousers etc to cope with the heat at 24. In sure she’s heating her neighbours house as well

HollySwift · 15/12/2018 16:23

We have to have our thermostat at 21/22, because it’s position is the worst imaginable - hottest part of the house 🙄 It means that in reality the house is around 17-18. Works for us.

Jimdandy · 15/12/2018 16:24

I would freeze at 18.

21-22 whilst I’m here in the day, 18 overnight and when we’re not here.

Theunreasonableone · 15/12/2018 16:25

18 during the day and 12 at night. No way could I sleep with heating up high.

Jimdandy · 15/12/2018 16:25

There’s certain friends I won’t visit because their houses are too cold. Even in warm clothes.

cl61reb · 15/12/2018 16:27

19 .. if ur cold out on more clothes or use a blanket!!

PlatypusPie · 15/12/2018 16:28

20 day - might twitch it up a little in the evening if sofa slouching. Goes off at 10.30 - back on at 6.am - don’t feel the need for heating with a duvet on !

Original poster
HavelockVetinari · 15/12/2018 16:31

Wow, a huge variation here! I still maintain that my way is the best way, but if you chilly mortals visited me I'd give you a fan heater and keep the communal areas warmer I suppose.

OP posts:
speakout · 15/12/2018 16:38

Warmth can represent a lot.

When I was a child we had no central heating.

A coal fire downstairs which heated one room, went out at night, and that was it.
Upstairs rooms had no heating at all.
I remember frost on the inside of my bedroom window.

Taking a bath was a challenge.

I remember being able to see my breath lying in bed when I was a child.
I suffered terribly with bronchial problems.

I like warmth now, I associate it with comfort, security and financial security.
Being warm relaxes me and puts me in a good mood.

tirisfalpumpkin · 15/12/2018 18:23

Good point, speakout.

I don’t remember the times in my life when there was no heating / minimal lighting to cut down on bills etc as particularly pleasant. I get cold easily, no matter how many jumpers I wear. When I was a student I used to live in the library and bask under the hot air vents :)

We are not currently using our central heating, just the log burner to heat the room we’re using.
It’s about 12 in most of the house and a very snug 22 here. Means dh doesn’t linger in the loo...

tor8181 · 15/12/2018 18:33

we dont have a normal household as we live a different life to majority

both kids are naked all the time due to sensory needs and i live in pajamas

we are also up 24 hours as they dont sleep either and in the valleys of south wales it can get cold at night

we have the heating on practically 24 hours(not summer obviously)because of nakedness as they dont like being cold (another sensory need)so we have to maintain a basic temperature of 25 or above so its always boiling hot in here

at the min its -5 outside(well 1 degree but real feel is -5)my indoor temp is saying 36.5 which is about normal

i have a 3 bed house with 3 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, a big living room and small kitchen down stairs so not a massive house to heat

we dont have a thermostat is either all or nothing

Original poster
HavelockVetinari · 15/12/2018 18:41

Means dh doesn’t linger in the loo

You might have solved a common MN problem here, @tirisfalpumpkin - husbands who take 40 minutes to do a shit just as the kids need feeding or other household chores need attending to. A chilly bathroom would put a stop to that! Grin

OP posts:
Imustbemad00 · 15/12/2018 20:01

This stuff always confused me. 8 think I must have a very different type of thermostat or heating set up. Anything below maybe 20/1 (hard to be exact as it’s on a dial that goes in 5’s) and it doesn’t click on so it could be on 10 or 19 and wouldn’t make no difference. Just means the radiators aren’t on and it’s cold.

Usually turn it up to about 23 for it to come on and then just turn it off again when it gets too warm.

Can anybody enlighten me?

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