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What temperature do you keep your house?

(90 Posts)
Allsorts Tue 06-Jan-26 06:05:29

This last month has been much colder than previous years my temperature is set to 18, higher in the sitting room still my kitchen and bathroom never get up that so I have other heating on in there. 'I have never had a bill so high for a month in my life, it's used all the credit I had build up, so now need double what I pay each month.
I think my double glazing and loft insulation is perhaps lacking although both were done 20 years ago, no misting up between glass etc.

melvingoodman Thu 05-Feb-26 11:05:05

If some rooms never warm up, it’s often heat loss rather than the thermostat. After 20 years, insulation and glazing can definitely be worth reviewing.

SueDonim Mon 19-Jan-26 18:28:59

Ah, I see, Grandmabatty. Luckily, I don’t have other health issues, so far (am always worried I’ll develop them!) so I never need to think about my thyroid. I’ll count my blessings.

FlexibleFriend Mon 19-Jan-26 18:01:56

We have gas central heating but it is rarely on, if we feel cold we just put it on for an hour. We certainly don't have it on overnight ever and as I say rarely during the day. All the investment in insulation has certainly paid off. The only rooms heated are the bathrooms with underfloor heating, which is lovely.

harrysgran Sun 18-Jan-26 21:39:26

Between 20 and 22 during the day and I turn it down to 14 during the night I live in a very old bungalow and keeping it warm helps keep away the dampness

Grandmabatty Sun 18-Jan-26 16:05:29

Yes, I'm on thyroxine but have a number of health issues which all combined affect me and often I feel cold. It's a pain!

Redcar Sun 18-Jan-26 15:46:20

I frequently visit a friend and her husband, she has major health issues and is bedridden. Her husband keeps the house heated to 15 degrees, as it was when they were both out at work all day, 18 years ago! She’s warm in bed, he wears several thick jumpers. I wear at least two jumpers when I visit, but am usually almost shivering with cold when I go home. When I open my front door, a blast of warm air hits me - my house is at 20 degrees, no more than that.

SueDonim Sun 18-Jan-26 15:09:38

Are you not on thyroxine, Grandmabatty? I’ve had an underactive thyroid for more than half my life and taken thyroxine all that time. It restores me to something like normal. 😂

Grandmabatty Sun 18-Jan-26 09:21:55

I don't know what temperature my house is at, however I suffer from cold very badly because I have an underactive thyroid. Therefore my house is warm. The heating goes on in the morning and I'll switch it off once I'm warm enough.

CariadAgain Sun 18-Jan-26 08:44:43

I keep mine at 22C ...veering up occasionally to 23C. It's on constantly from early morning to bedtime.

I made myself a promise as a child that I'd never be cold in my own home again - as I was so often cold in my bedroom as a child (as my mother wouldn't allow any heating in it - cue for hugely distracted from my homework come colder weather, as I'd have to give up any attempt to focus on it much and go into the sitting room and where my mother always always had the tv on).

So I figure the house is only little anyway - 2 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom and I've done what I can to have a warm structure to it (it had cavity wall insulation when I bought it and I'm the one that added 12" of loft insulation and put a conservatory around an exterior door and changed the boiler to a modern-style one). I checked recently and the house was rated E (!) when I bought it and I went through the info. on how it should be rated now and it came to C and so that will do.

I shouldnt think anyone else ever feels cold in it - as I've throws draped around in the sitting room and no-one else ever uses them.

It's one of the things in my mind that I'd "think shame on myself for" if a guest was cold in my home.

VerbenaGirl Fri 09-Jan-26 10:34:32

We keep ours at 16, but do boost it if we feel really cold or have parents or grandchildren visiting. I have a heated blanket on my work and living room chair and there are other blanket in the living room as well.

Basgetti Fri 09-Jan-26 10:23:42

We find 17 about right, cooler in the bedroom.

Vonners Fri 09-Jan-26 00:43:25

I prefer to breath cool air but have a warm body. The sitting room is 18 degrees from an electric heater. The rest of the house is 8 - 10 degrees. I wear 3 layers but am not sat still all day. I sleep covered in 2 duvets and have only closed the window since the temperatures dropped below zero.
We are all so different, I couldnt imagine living in a house at 25 degrees.

LaCrepescule Thu 08-Jan-26 15:24:54

18c and I tend to use a gas stove in the living room instead of the central heating which is very effective. I wear layers when it’s really cold and have a heated throw for when I’m vegging on the sofa reading or watching TV. I don’t seem to feel the cold as much as I did when I was younger which is good.

jusnoneed Thu 08-Jan-26 15:21:19

"must say that I would be hot sweaty and uncomfortable were our thermostat set at 22, even if just sitting down quietly. I prefer an extra layer, to high heat".

I would be too warm as well MOnica, anything over about 18/19 is the not something I'd want. Starts to feel stuffy. 17 degrees at the moment and it's warm enough, even with the wind and rain beating on the window.
I went into my neighbours a couple weeks ago and nearly melted, they keep theirs set to at least 22 degrees all day and night.

No wonder I hate the heat in the summer.

Allira Thu 08-Jan-26 15:07:56

unnecessary. 🤔
necessary

Allira Thu 08-Jan-26 15:07:24

Homestead62

I have an autoimmune condition which gives you a dodgy internal thermostat and I don't cope with cold at all. I don't like a warm bedroom so that is on a very low setting that never changes. The rest of the house can be between 20-22°during the day, at night, at the moment around 20-21° , it really depends on how cold we feel. One charity suggested anything lower than 18° can be rather dangerous for older people, so, in winter our heating is never below this setting. Hypothermia can just creep up on you.

My thermostat doesn't work well either so ours is set at between 20 and 21C but turn it lower if unnecessary.

Nor do I like extreme heat.

M0nica Thu 08-Jan-26 15:00:14

I would never complain to someone that their home was to hot or too cold. I would just make my excuses aand leave.

keepingquiet Thu 08-Jan-26 14:09:22

M0nica

I must say that I would be hot sweaty and uncomfortable were our thermostat set at 22, even if just sitting down quietly. I prefer an extra layer, to high heat.

I think each person has their own internal heat setting and the adjustments between internal and external heaat is not obvious. I feel the cold, but do not find a high house temperature comfortable because it is so hot.

Fair enough. I avoid visiting some friends and family in winter because their homes are too cold. No one ever came to my house and complained it was too hot.

Homestead62 Thu 08-Jan-26 11:50:46

I have an autoimmune condition which gives you a dodgy internal thermostat and I don't cope with cold at all. I don't like a warm bedroom so that is on a very low setting that never changes. The rest of the house can be between 20-22°during the day, at night, at the moment around 20-21° , it really depends on how cold we feel. One charity suggested anything lower than 18° can be rather dangerous for older people, so, in winter our heating is never below this setting. Hypothermia can just creep up on you.

M0nica Thu 08-Jan-26 10:43:34

I must say that I would be hot sweaty and uncomfortable were our thermostat set at 22, even if just sitting down quietly. I prefer an extra layer, to high heat.

I think each person has their own internal heat setting and the adjustments between internal and external heaat is not obvious. I feel the cold, but do not find a high house temperature comfortable because it is so hot.

keepingquiet Thu 08-Jan-26 09:16:45

Granmarderby10

I don’t think 22 degrees is excessive, just comfortable if you aren’t active or cooking.
I’m find it incredible that those horrible electric storage heaters from 40 odd years ago are still in existence and are preventing people from controlling their own comfort in their homes.It is 2026 isn’t it? Just 😮
And-so much for modern controls.
I am thankful for my combi gas boiler, ordinary radiators and instant hot water. I have double glazing and carpeting, but no fire. I turn temperature up and down from a simple dial on landing and it responds instantly.

I agree- however last night I decided to turn down my control as I have saved money by keeping the heating on all the time. I turned it down to 20 degrees and that seems about right now.

Mollygo Thu 08-Jan-26 00:06:38

16° overnight from 10.30 -though the heating rarely comes on.
18° from 7.30 when we get up.
Sometimes 20° in the evening from 7-10pm

crazyH Wed 07-Jan-26 23:11:16

My heating is on all day from 9 am to midnight. I hate being cold - my lungs need warmth. I do open the bedroom and kitchen windows for about 2 hours in the morning.
My bills are enornous, about £250 for gas and electric, per month.
I can’t remember when they last read the meters,

Toetoe Wed 07-Jan-26 23:00:01

50 year old house 2 up 2 down . Open plan lounge . I have strung up a thick net curtain covered over with a king size sheet across the open plan stairs . I used to shiver in the lounge as the landing was super warm. Now with my curtain up it's much warmer . 8 yr old boiler ( combi) temp during the day 18 or 19 , after dark 20 or 21 . Thermostat turned down to 17 overnight, it stays off till dawn when I hear it click on . I did have £200 credit with Octopus energy but think that's probably in debit now . I'm paying £80 per month but will up it to £110 . Spent many years freezing growing up and tell myself I deserve to be warm

PaperMonster2 Wed 07-Jan-26 22:31:38

Our heating is usually about 19/20. We have gch now but in our last house had the new storage heaters - these were no more expensive to use than the gas is now and were a lot more controllable than the old type.