What's an acceptable indoor temperature?

[IGemini]

Summer: Mid-70s. I switch to AC when it gets above 82 with airflow.

Winter: I like keeping it around 70, <65 starts to get cold. In spite of a couple days dipping to 62 and -10F nights, I've gotten away without turning on the heat in my room so far this winter. My main comp is a decent space heater, those cold days were when Rosetta ran out of work overnight.

 

[vi edit]

I've got an infant and a 4 year old so I like to keep it a little bit warmer than I normally would in the winter and cooler than normal in the summer. Thermostat is on the mainfloor so the rooms upstairs are cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer.

Right now temp is set at 71. In the summer it's set around 71.

 

[rh71]

65-66 is about the lowest we can comfortably be in the house. We have new insulation but a very open floor plan. Except for my office which, with the computer on 24/7, gets so much warmer. If the 1st floor is set to 68, it is unbearably hot in the office, but perfect for the living room.

At the old house 66 would be fuggin freezing since we had tile floors, little insulation, and drafts everywhere. We did 70 but hated every minute of it because we saw dollar bills fly out the window along with the heat.

 

[BurnItDwn]

When it's just me, I keep it at about 65, that way, the basement is usually around above 60ish in the home theater area

When I have the GF over, or family/friends who I like ... I set it up a few degrees to accommodate them, but, I never set it higher than 68 unless I'm sick or something...

 

[SlitheryDee]

68F and under. I am only slightly uncomfortable at 68 and I don't get too cold till about 58 or so.

 

[ElFenix]

summer 79/80. usually i just use it to control humidity. i don't understand those who sleep under blankets of any sort during the summer and then pay to cool the place.

winter usually not on. if it somehow makes it lower than about 63 in the house i'll turn the heat on.

 

[Pantlegz]

summer - 80ish
winter - 70ish

 

[GrumpyMan]

I like it at 68 to 70 at all times. When on Venus I like it at around 800F to 900F.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I like keeping the Thermostat at around 59. Above that I just walk around shirtless.

 

[Imp]

Theoretically from a building science perspective, you only "need" 18 C or 64.4 F to not be too bothered by the cold.

Mother effing malls always set it higher and I boil with my cold tolerance (low heat tolerance) with jacket on to make it worse.

 

[terry107]

Winter - 70F
Summer - 78F
Spring/Fall - Windows open

Houston

 

[Cerb]

People are idiots and think that turning the thermostat up extra high will somehow heat the house faster.

You have it backwards. Turning it way down does not cool the house down faster. Now, if you had a thermostat, the likes of which I've never seen, allowing you to force on the elements, then it might not be faster to turn the setting very high. As it is, that seems to be the only commonly available way to do it.

For me, 75+10. As long as the air isn't too dry or too humid, I'm fairly tolerant. The more humid it is, the lower the temp needs to be.

 

[vi edit]

Theoretically from a building science perspective, you only "need" 18 C or 64.4 F to not be too bothered by the cold.

While I do not risk any health adverse side affects at that temp, I know for a fact that my hands and fingers will be cold and border line numb at that setting. My core might be fine and a blanket can keep me warm, it doesn't do anything for poor circulation while typing at a PC or having a hand on a mouse for any extended period of time.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

It can make sense to set the thermostat higher in the winter than in the summer because you feel the wet bulb temperature not the dry bulb and heat tends to decrease the relative humidity. Of course normally you wear more clothes in the winter so it evens out.

its all about the clothes

I notice it mostly when going out and noticing stores or restaurants the blast the heat higher than normal even though people should be wearing more layers, or in the summer blasting the AC even though people are likely wearing less layers and shorts/tshirts etc. Really, it makes no sense, so obviously its women who are the driving force behind this madness

 

[Soundmanred]

70 F

 

[DrPizza]

Winter: 80ish, Summer: 70ish. Don't forget the other missing ingredient. Humidity. 70 and humid feels like 80. 80 & dry feels like 70.

 

[lxskllr]

Don't forget the other missing ingredient. Humidity. 70 and humid feels like 80. 80 & dry feels like 70.

Seems like it goes the other way at low temperatures though. Cool and humid makes things feel colder to me.

 

[ShawnD1]

I have high heat tolerance, but can't stand my feet, hands, and body being fucking cold.

When I go into sauna, I'm usually the last person to get out (even fall asleep enjoying it). I <3 heat.

Maybe you has serotonin problems? Studies show that serotonin has a strong link to the body's ability to control itself and adapt to the environment.

My SSRI medication causes me to get really really hot. Normally I'm freezing my ass off. If I take a pill 30 minutes before I shovel, I can shovel with my jacket open and no hat when it's -20C outside.
That's also one of the reasons people die when they take illegal drugs like MDMA. Super high serotonin = super high body temperature. The fever kills them.

http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/august2011/08082011serotonin.htm

In another set of experiments, the researchers found that switching off the serotonin-producing neurons disrupted maintenance of a healthy body temperature. When the room temperature was set at 74 °F, normal mice could stabilize their body at the typical 98.6 °F. But the body temperatures of mice with the switched-off neurons quickly plunged to match the 74° room temperature.

&#8220;By selectively switching off the serotonin-producing cells, we can get a definite idea of what bodily functions the serotonin cells specifically control&#8221; Dymecki says. In future studies, she and her colleagues plan to add the CNO receptor to specific subsets of serotonin-producing neurons. Their goal is to better understand the role these neurons play in health and disorders such as SIDS and depression.

I live in a basement where it's about 75F (24C) all the time. My gf and I put blankets and garbage bags over the basement windows and fire place, so our section of the house is insulated. The upstairs (where the landlord lives) appears to be very poorly insulated - big living room window, single pane glass, no attic, open concept (better air flow allows more heat loss). As per the lease terms, the house temperature is set to 22C during the day. Our basement area is always warmer than this. The furnace seems to run endlessly.
Seriously guys, insulate your home. Just putting bags and blankets over the windows changed the basement from super cold to super hot. It's amazing.

 

[Geekbabe]

While I do not risk any health adverse side affects at that temp, I know for a fact that my hands and fingers will be cold and border line numb at that setting. My core might be fine and a blanket can keep me warm, it doesn't do anything for poor circulation while typing at a PC or having a hand on a mouse for any extended period of time.

Amen! my nose gets cold too & the heat gets turned up!

 

[mmntech]

Winter: 70 when I'm at home, 65 when I'm not, and at night.

Summer: 76-78 depending on the humidity. I'll run the AC longer if it's humid.

 

[MustISO]

Winter the thermostats are at 72° - 73°
Summer, usually around 78°

 

[MotionMan]

This winter we seem to hover around 66-68, a little lower at night (but I think our thermostat is off a couple degrees).

In the summer, we keep the AC at about 72-75, if I recall correctly.

BTW, domed stadiums are kept, generally, at 72.

MotionMan

 

[Spike]

I keep the thermostat set at 68 all year round but that really only means something in the winter since we don't have AC. Top floor can get to 90+ in hot summer days though thankfully we don't have too many of those in Seattle.

 

[ussfletcher]

My roommates keep setting the heat to 73, its a bit too much, I generally like 70. At night I prefer it much colder, like 64. I didn't have air conditioning in my childhood home, so summer temperatures for me are not really an issue, I just have fans all over the place.

 

[Matthiasa]

At 68 my hands are already freezing and becoming numb... below that I really cant do anything with them. I prefer ~72-73 in the winter and in the summer anything below ~80-85 with high humidity is fine. With low humidity even 100 would be fine for me but others might not appreciate it so much.