This Is the “right” Temperature to Turn on Your Heating This Fall.
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Autumn is inexorably approaching winter, and we know we’ll have to turn on the heating. But when exactly do we do it? If you’re arguing with your partner or roommate about the thermostat, we’d be happy to put an end to it. (Although they’ll probably never admit they’re wrong.)
The simplest answer, although not necessarily the correct one , is to watch for overnight lows below 10°C (50°F). However, neither a calendar nor a weather forecast will give you definitive advice. The temperature inside your home is important. If your home is located on the sunny side in a warm climate, you can delay turning on the heating until the depths of winter. On the other hand, if your home is poorly insulated, is in the shade, or is cool in your region, you may need to turn on the heating earlier.
So, while you can ask your neighbors what date or what outside temperature they usually use as a reference, you’ll have to look at your own thermostat to find out when it’s time.
Keep the room temperature above 64 degrees for your health.
A World Health Organization report notes that temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius (about 64 degrees Fahrenheit) can cause problems for smokers, asthmatics, and people with cardiovascular disease. Higher temperatures are associated with improved lung function and blood pressure in these individuals. The report concludes that 64 degrees is a good minimum for most people, but people with these conditions, as well as people aged 65 and older, should be especially careful to keep their home temperature at 64 degrees or above.
However, if you’re under 65 and don’t have lung or heart disease, the WHO doesn’t recommend putting on a sweater and breathing. They say low temperatures pose no health risk to healthy people who are sufficiently active and generate sufficient heat. You can also safely use clothing, bedding, or space heaters to stay warm in cold temperatures, such as wrapping yourself in flannel pajamas with a heating pad under a warm blanket.
Set your programmable thermostat to turn on the heating when the temperature drops.
So that’s the general rule, but what if you have a thermostat that allows you to program different temperatures for different times of day?
Energy Star recommends setting your thermostat to turn on the heating when the temperature drops to 21 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning or evening. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can set a “setback” setting to cool your home slightly at night and when you’re away.
It’s recommended to lower the temperature by eight degrees when you’re outside during the day (for example, in the office), and by another eight degrees at night, as cool weather helps us sleep , and if we’re too cold, we can cover ourselves with blankets. With this reduction, the room temperature can drop to 16 degrees (62 degrees). Try it and see how it feels in your home. If it’s too cold, try raising the temperature to at least 16 degrees (64 degrees).
If you want to wait as long as possible, at least do a test run.
Whatever I say, I know some of you will want to wait as long as possible before turning on the heating for the first time. Just do yourself a favor: turn it on sometime in early autumn, just to make sure everything is working properly. When it finally gets too cold to do without heating, you don’t want that to be the day you find out something isn’t working properly.