What’s the Ideal Temperature for a Home During Winter?

Heating bills during the winter can become extremely expensive, especially if you usually deal with a case of the thermostat wars in your household. Everyone wants to feel warm and toasty in their home during the colder months, but many homeowners struggle with figuring out the exact temperature to set their thermostat to that will make everyone in the house comfortable. Everyone is different when it comes to temperature preferences, meaning some like to be warm while others prefer the house on the chillier side.

In this blog, we’ll be sharing the ideal temperature to keep your home during winter as well as some tips to keep the heating bills down while making sure all family members are comfortable and happy!

What Temperature Should I Set My Thermostat During the Day?

Like we mentioned above, everyone is different when it comes to temperature, because everyone’s levels of comfort comes down to personal preference. It might be difficult finding a happy medium for your family when it comes to the temperature in your house, so you’ll have to test it out until you find a temperature that makes everyone happy. To start, try setting your thermostat to 68 degrees during the winter. This is usually the ideal temperature for most households.

If you notice that 68 degrees is comfortable enough for your family, you can try lowering the thermostat settings by 1 or 2 degrees to save some money. While lowering the temperature by a degree or two won’t actually change much in terms of how the temperature in your home actually feels, your heating bill can be reduced by up to 3% for each degree you lower the thermostat.

Ideal Thermostat Temperature for Winter Nights

When you go to bed each night, you’re already bundling up with your blankets in bed, which is added warmth for free! You can definitely afford to lower your thermostat at night by a few degrees while you sleep to save money. Add a few more blankets to your bed and throw on some cozy pajamas to make you feel warm and toasty when you sleep. If you’re the type of person who prefers feeling more on the colder side when you sleep, take advantage of lowering your thermostat at night. You might sleep better if your house is a bit chiller and your heating bills will definitely thank you.

Best Thermostat Setting for When You’re Out of the House

A common myth many homeowners tend to believe is that turning off your heat completely when you leave the house is how you’ll save money. We can assure you that this is not true. Turning your heat off completely when you’re out of the house for extended periods of time will actually cause your system to work even harder when you turn it back on to get your home to the temperature you want it to be, essentially causing your HVAC system to overwork itself, increasing your energy usage.

If you like to spend the winter season somewhere warm or you’re planning a winter getaway for your family, turn your heat down, but don’t turn it off. Ideally, you should set your thermostat anywhere between 60-65 degrees because this temperature will keep your home warm enough to prevent frozen pipes but will also keep your heating bill reduced. You really don’t want to deal with frozen pipes in the winter, because this can result in thousands of dollars worth of damage. Don’t fall for the “turning the heat off will save money” myth and keep your heat at a lower temperature while you’re away.

To sum this all up, here’s a quick breakdown of what we just discussed:

• Keep your heat at 68 degrees during the day
• Lower it to 64-67 degrees when you're sleeping
• Keep your heat between 60-65 degrees when you’re out of the house for extended periods of time