Is there are reason people need to keep coming out with this stuff? Things like
- My sister and I squeezed into Amtrak’s $600 roomette for 35 hours. Look inside our 23-square-foot space with a closet, beds, and no bathroom. (who cares? You chose to do this)
- Airline passenger shares major hack for picking the best seats on a flight: ‘I needed this’ Of course it’s a Tiktok video
- A woman mysteriously couldn’t poop for a month. Hundreds of thousands of people started tuning in to follow her struggle on TikTok.
And then all the “I moved to/visited X and this is what surprised me!” ones. And this
You can officially settle arguments over your home’s thermostat settings—during the hottest and coldest months of the year—for good. We asked two heating and cooling professionals to name the exact temperature your thermostat should read during the summer and winter, keeping in mind comfort, environmental impact, and energy efficiency.
Two!
When the heat of summer kicks in and your home’s air conditioning kicks on, you likely make a mad dash to the thermostat to keep comfortable. According to Michael Lopes, the Operations Manager at Reliance Home Comfort, make sure you’re not tweaking that dial too much on your hunt for cooler air—and, ultimately, you don’t have to. The perfect summer temperature for your home is roughly 70 degrees Fahrenheit. “This is a comfortable temperature for most people, but many things can influence how that feels,” he says—after all, a humid 70 degrees feels a lot different than a dry 70 degrees. (snip)
On the flip side of the dial is winter, which requires us to bump on our heating units. Fournier, however, advises customers to keep their thermostats set on the lower side. “During the winter months, I’d suggest keeping your heating system set at around 68 to 70 degrees,” she says. “This may seem a bit low, but it is ideal to avoid overworking the system to heat the house. If you raise the temperature too much, your unit will struggle to stay at this higher temperature while competing with the cold weather outside, causing unnecessary strain on your HVAC.”
OK. Me, I keep it at 72 in the summer, that’s my comfort level. Because of where the thermostat is, and that my bedroom faces east, the bedroom typically is about 70-71. Winter, I like 69. They also recommend turning the heat down to 65. Heck no, not going to want to get out of bed. Anyhow, you do you. But, of course, there’s something else
According to Lopes, what feels good to you isn’t necessarily best for the environment (or your energy bill). “Environmentally-friendly temperatures are a few degrees different than what feels comfortable,” he says. “Smart thermostats might show you an ‘eco’ or ‘leaf’ icon when you are set to an environmentally-friendly temperature. This reduces energy usage, but you might need to wear a sweater in cold months or keep a fan handy in the summer.”
A recent report from Energy Star, which is affiliated with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy, affirms this; the company recommends settings that go well beyond 70 degrees come summertime: According to the energy company, 78 degrees is the ideal eco-friendly thermostat setpoint—a number that creeps up to 82 degrees overnight (and 85 degrees if you’re not at home!).
By eco, they mean climate doom. Who wants to bet that most of the ones recommending this do not keep their own homes at these temperatures?
There is actually real science that says the best sleeping temperature for bedrooms is in the mid to low 60’s with a good light blanket on the bed. Since I really like to sleep well even though it may be very hot outside still at bedtime in Texas, and have found this to be true for me, I just added a small window unit to where I sleep and keep the rest of the house in the 70’s at night. This actually saves energy and $$$ in both summer and especially winter and doesn’t compromise sleep.
Mr PsychoMasonica wrote:
This is, of course, entirely dependent upon not having a wife and a dog who want to steal the covers!
[…] Pirates Cove- Y’all know where this will lead….. […]
Don’t forget the hot flashes.
overworking the system to heat the house. …while competing with the cold weather outside, causing unnecessary strain on your HVAC.” Bull crap!!!
Absolutely, HVAC. We did some buy, renovate and upgrade, own, and sell older homes as we moved through our careers. I’ve worked with several good, independent Tin Men over the years and the good ones will always evaluate the home and it’s particular situation and design a system to keep it comfortable. Always sizing the system to the situation and not to the latest from ‘Mother Earth News’. Always stayed warm, even in northern Minnesota, and cool in Georgia, Florida, and Texas with no problems only requiring periodic maintenance.
