Here are a few indicators that you should really turn up the thermostat:
- You’re excited to get hospital slipper socks as a stocking stuffer because they’re warmer than regular socks.
- You’re excited to get a sweatshirt for Christmas because you’re finally warm.
- You find yourself trying to put off showers because you don’t want to get naked. (You’re definitely not sweating, so you can’t be all that dirty anyway, right?)
- You chant to yourself, “Being cold burns calories. Being cold burns calories.”
- Your hands are so cold that typing gets a little cumbersome.
- It’s 32 degrees outside.
- It’s 50 degrees inside.
Yep, I finally broke down and turned on the heat. I managed to wait it out for quite a while. But once the thermostat read 50 degrees — in the hallway, which I’m convinced is warmer than the rest of the house — I gave in. So I flicked on the heat… And set it to 60 degrees. Meaning it’s still somewhat uncomfortable in here — especially with the tile radiating cold — but darn it if I don’t feel all Alaskan-y again.
I’m such a wimp about the “cold” temperatures now that it’s depressing and a skosh embarrassing. After all, I used to wear shorts at 60 degrees. Now I wear long sleeves and maybe a jacket. Granted, I can handle 90+ degree heat like a champ. I’ve even been outside for an hour or more in 100+ weather. And heat tolerance here is as important as cold tolerance up there.
Logically, I know that at this point I’ve lived outside of Alaska longer than I lived there. But I grew up in that state, so I’ll always consider myself Alaskan to an extent. I’ll always have a little inner Alaskan. And every time I get chilly, I still hear her rolling her eyes. (She rolls them very loudly, apparently.)
When do you know it’s time to turn on the heat?
Anya says
I looked into this as I just moved to a colder climate. Your body burns more calories when you’re cold if you’re actually shivering. If you’re just feeling uncomfortable, you’re not burning much more. However, your body does burn more when you’re hot so maybe put on a bunch of layers. 😜
All kidding aside, I’m amazed that you can manage 60 in the house. I try not to go over 70, even if it’s 10 degrees outside. But I think that would be a good experiment to try and see how far I can push it.
Abigail says
Yeah I kind of figured shivering had something to do with it. But I thought maybe if your body also had to work harder to keep you warmer. Oh well, worth a shot. I’ll probably turn it up to 65 degrees soon if it keeps being nearly painful to take showers (or, more correctly, to get out of them). But for now my electric bill is fantastic!
SusieQ says
You could always get a small space heater for your bathroom – just to warm it up for the shower time. We are out here in PHX for winter (we’re snowbirds) & it really is chilly (for AZ!) – the tile floors make it seem so cold. I’ve been layering my clothing which tends to keep me warmer. But I love the cold nights – I seem to sleep so much better in a cold room! Although I have to wear 2 pairs of socks to bed – when my feet are cold my whole body is cold! Burrrrr!
Abigail says
It’s a thought but it’s less the bathroom itself, which is small and fills up with steam quickly, and more the bedroom as a whole when I go to get dressed. Which a space heater couldn’t do much about. Writing this out I realize that I should just bring my clothes into the bathroom with me. Duh.
Rosa says
when my kid was smaller and was always cold in the morning (he’s hit puberty and bulked up a ton so now he never seems to be cold) we kept a small oil-filled heater in the bathroom and put his clothes on top of it. So I’d wake up in the morning and turn on the heater about 15 minutes before he had to get up, and he could go into the small warm room and put on warm clothes. It worked really well for getting him out of bed in the cold, dark months.
Abigail says
Smart! I suppose I could do this for the bedroom. There’s really no space in the tiny master bathroom for a heater.
Money Beagle says
I know it’s time to turn on the heat when my wife tells me, “Turn on the heat.”
Abigail says
That’s an excellent indicator — and a good thing to obey!
Millie says
I used to keep my winter thermostat at 60 and dressed in so many layers, it was ridiculous. We live in a cold climate, and I was wearing my winter coat to work at my desk indoors. I finally decided that part of why I worked to earn money was so that I could live with a certain amount of reasonable comfort. And that if I spend a large percentage of my time feeling physically uncomfortable and thinking about how uncomfortable I was, I wasn’t doing the right thing to take care of myself.
In the winter, I try to keep the rooms I’m in at about 68, which means I set the day thermostat to 68 and the night thermostat to 62 (because the way the heating system works in this house, the bedrooms get warmer than the rest of the house if the doors are closed). These temperatures allow me to be comfortable when wearing long pants, long sleeves, a sweater, and shoes/socks.
Abigail says
Yeah I may turn the thermostat up to 65 (and will turn it up to 70 when I have company) just so taking showers or changing clothes isn’t so damn uncomfortable. For now it’s a weird experiment that’s been weirdly fun, but it’s probably coming to an end soon.
Donna Freedman says
Hey, our thermostat is at 60 also! Except that last night the (outside) temperature went below zero and it seemed as though I were coming down with something, so DF flicked the switch up to 62 degrees.
I’m fine today, so he can let it go back to 60 degrees. Still below zero outside, though.
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Abigail says
62? You wastrel! But seriously I’m glad 60 works for you. It’s one reason that I settled on it when I was choosing a temperature.
susan says
Wood stove here. And husband who likes it about 75. I am usually pretty comfy except when the wind blows. High ceilings and lots of single pane windows! Got down under 70 yesterday and I was a bit chilly. We would have to behave much differently if we were using electricity or fossil fuel of some sort for heat.
Abigail says
Oooh a wood stove sounds lovely! It must be pretty difficult to keep the temperature up with both high ceilings and single pane windows, so kudos to not needing electric heat to get the job done.
Linda G says
When Mia, our long haired Australian shepherd ( our other dog is short haired) tries to get the fleece blanket spot Rocky usually occupies, it’s time. We do 65-68 during the day depending on sun and 60 at night.
Abigail says
Haha yeah the dog is probably a good sign. The cat still goes into the guest room which is currently the coldest room in the house. So I think she’s okay. If I caught her looking cold, though, I’d turn up the heat.
catseye says
I’m like my late mom… I’m going to be comfortable no matter what the temp, dangit! I’ll do without a lot of other stuff so I can be comfortable all year round. I’ll also wear a robe or hoodie, but if that’s not enough, I will turn it up a few degrees.
Frankly, I think heat pumps are a pita. This is my first one and I don’t like it. When you’re a renter, you can’t always get what you want. ;o)
Abigail says
Ah the plight of the renter! I will probably switch to my robe and cardigan soon since the sweatshirt has been seeing a lot of wear and could probably use a wash. I’ve got a nice fuzzy Doctor Who Tardis robe that’s plenty cozy.
Linda in NE says
We’re old, the thermostat is set at 69 during the day and when it gets below that the furnace kicks in. The was in the middle of September this past Fall. Who knows, maybe next Fall the thermostat may be set at 70. The older we get the more we feel the cold. What the heck would we be saving that heating money for? Our kids have always made more than we ever had. We might as well be comfortable.
Abigail says
Yep, the cold seeps into your bones as you get older or as some chronic ailments flare up. Tim’s fibro meant he got cold very easily and stayed cold, so we had to keep it at 72-74. I agree that you should be comfortable. For now I get comfort in using less electricity, but at some point physical comfort is going to take precedence and I’ll turn it up to at least 65.
Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life says
We’re between 61-65 as we figure out what works for us between comfort and the bill at the end of the month but during the workdays, I just leave it off entirely and keep the little heater on at my desk. I didn’t think I’d EVER adapt to feeling like 60 was “ok” (with three layers and a coat) but I did so I’m open to experimenting a little!
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Abigail says
Yeah I stupidly gave away both space heaters when the in-laws were moving out. It occurred to me about 30 seconds after giving the second one away that I might’ve used it. But they’re not that expensive and I have Amazon credit from Swagbucks. So I can always get it that way.
bethh says
65 during the day, 58 at night, and a space heater for my home office for days I just feel a bit more chilly than usual.
I didn’t adjust it upward the last time my parents visited and I think they froze and won’t come back. So I have to remember the “higher for guests” thing!
Abigail says
Yeah, I turned it up to 70 when I had a friend over the other day. Though I have one frugal friend who wouldn’t mind the cold because she also refuses to turn on the heat unless absolutely necessary. Alas, she wasn’t the one visiting.
Rosa says
yeah, we have to remember to turn the heat up for guests.
Though, a lot of times we go to other people’s houses and are uncomfortable because it’s like 72 degrees. And none of them turn the heat down for us!
Melissa F says
I do not mind the cold so much and usually have my thermostat set on 60 when my husband is away. When he comes home he immediately moves it to 70 which makes me cringe. We just sold her house so we are living in an apartment where we have electric baseboard heaters. Last month or heating bill was $185 and I thought I would cry in this month is going to be much worse because it has been colder. I don’t even want to think about it. But he believes that we should be comfortable no matter what and I believe that a little bit of cold builds character and saves money. I am like you I always get dressed in my bedroom. For some reason I do not like getting dressed in the bathroom because of the humidity and just have always done that. You could try area rugs for the tile if you don’t already have them and I often wear two pair of socks because once my feet get cold then I am more susceptible to the cold. You will figure out which temperature works best for you and your body will adjust. Hope all is going well. Take care.
teinegurl says
I live in Hawaii so I don’t have central heating but I also don’t have central A/C im OK around 70 that’s it anything below feels chilly for me even though this morning was 66 I was nice and toasty under blankets and also didn’t want to shower! so I decided when I do hop make it as hot as I can stand it to warm myself up then ill be all right and turn it down. It works!
Abigail says
I’m not sure how you live in Hawaii without central air, but go you! Sorry it got so cool in your house. Glad to know I’m not the only one who gets reluctant to take showers.
OneFamily says
Usually when I feel your #5, then it’s time to turn up the heat. Living in a cold climate it’s more of a game to see how long you can go into Fall before you have to start using it again, LOL. Then it’s pretty much on constantly until May.
Abigail says
I’ll be in the reverse situation starting in April. I’ll be seeing how long I can go without flicking on the A/C. But I don’t think I’ll make it far in. It starts getting into the 90s and 100s earlier and earlier each year. And once the A/C goes on, it’s not off until October. Sigh.
Kat says
Our standard thermostat setting for heat is 60 during the day and 55 at night. That was modified when we had an infant in the house (mainly, we raised the temperature a little and adjusted the vents to ensure his room and the rooms he spent time in got the warmest) but we’re back to that and extra layers for kiddo.
Abigail says
Making adjustments for a baby definitely makes sense, but I’m glad you were able to get back to basics (and layers).
Cakester says
I live in a chilly basement apartment with electric baseboard for heat. Depending on the room the heat is turned to 50 ish degrees. At home I wear a lot of layers. I’ve recently discovered the joys of the sweatshirt blanket, they’re insanely warm and comfortable. And I wear fingerless gloves to type.
Abigail says
I’ve never heard of sweatshirt blankets. I’ll have to look that up, though my actual sweatshirt and some flannel PJ pants keep me relatively warm. I don’t think fingerless gloves would help since it’s the fingers themselves that get cold, especially the top knuckle were fingerless gloves wouldn’t reach. But it’s still something to consider.
Cakester says
I had never heard of sweatshirt blankets until this year, but I love mine so much, one of the best Christmas presents I got.
spiffi says
When I have TWO sweaters on, with my hood up, AND my fleece vest, and thick fuzzy slippers, and I’m STILL cold? Then I will go look at the thermostat 🙂
Usually it’s saying 60-62 at that point – so I will kick the furnace on to a BALMY 67F
The furnace is set to kick in automatically in the morning, and warm the house up to 67F so I can get up – it doesn’t actually reach that in the bathroom or my bedroom (at the back of the house) – but it does take the chill off.
Then the furnace is off the rest of the day – just this week, I found I had to kick it on for a few minutes to take the chill off in the evening after dinner. But I don’t let it run overnight – it gets down to the low 50s in my house overnight – but I’m covered up in my bed during that time 🙂
I acknowledge that I’m a wimp now – after living 18 years in California – when I was growing up in Canada, I had no heat in my bedroom (the upstairs of our house was all electric baseboard heating and it was too expensive to run, so we …didn’t) – and I recall having 2 inches of ICE on the INSIDE of my windowsill over the winter.
But downstairs, the thermostat was kept to about 20C – which is 68F – so that’s about right I guess.
Abigail says
I remember ice on the kitchen window growing up. It was just what happened. But we kept the rest of the house around 60-65 as I recall. Good on you for not running the furnace overnight. I forgot and left mine at 65 last night and was upset. I’d meant to kick it down to 60, but now I’m thinking maybe I’ll turn it off like you do. It’s a smart move!
Rosa says
the window ice is more from leaky or single pane windows than the interior heat setting. It might actually be worse if the indoor air is warmer. We used to have it before we replaced our old windows with newer, double paned, more insulative ones.
Abigail says
Yeah, the front windows in the trailer (where the ice would form) were single pane. So they probably caused the issue themselves.
becky says
I am so wimpy about heating here in the \UK I only after last until October!
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Abigail says
Hey, it’s okay. Everyone has his or her own cold tolerance!