What temperature do you keep your thermostat at?

[Captain Jay]

I was just curious to se what most people keep their thermostat at in the winter. This winter mine is at 62, and my wife is always complaining that its too cold.

Last winter I kept it at 60, because propane was 1.99 a gallon!! This winter I gave her 2 more degrees and she is still complaining.

Let me know what you all think, but unfortunately I think I'm probably going to loose this one. Ill have to keep the wife off Walleye Central for a few days till this passes.

Captain Jay

[Juls_WI]

I keep mine at 62 also, but I do wear long underwear all the time.

Buy her some "Cuddle Duds" and she won't even know she's wearing long underwear, because they are very lightweight. Silky on the outside (so your clothes don't stick) and a light flannel layer on the skinside for comfort. She will only know shes warm and cozy. I got them at JC Penney's. I don't know who else carries them. Best long underwear I have tried. Even better than my polypro, but a lot cheaper!

They would make a nice stocking stuffer..;-)

Juls

[David/MN]

I learned earily that it never costs too much to keep them warm in the winter, and even more important COOL in the summer! Good mood is always more important than money.

[Captain Jay]

Thanks Juls, your first line helped me out a lot, and I was going to let her read it. After the second paragraph, I cant do that now, cause she'll expect one in her stocking!

Thanks again

Jay

[punch1]

I have the opposite problem. My wife needs to read this post! My wife has it at 70 degrees and I'm always turning down to 67 degrees. It probaby goes back and forth five to ten times a day!

[EAGLE EYES]

It's funny you mention that. I've been having the same delema with my wife! Only difference is I've been keeping it @ 68 and my wife is still complaining she's cold all the time. I told her the new electronic thermostat is hard adjust! :-) Well, she bought that line, and I'm stickin' to it!

[jim c]

Two logs in the evening keeps the fire going then a big one for the night if its under 30 degrees,otherwise the kitchen cook stove will heat the whole house depending what Iam cooking(tonight it was mushroom stuffed raviolries for tomorrow)The kich stove usualy goes out by morning but makes about 100 gals hot water and heats the bricks well aand the temp only drops 5 or 10 degrees over night if the wind is down.whats a ther-mo-stat ? jim c.

[Eyewitness]

My father and I are both in the heating/AC engineering industry and you would be amazed at how much psychology goes into human comfort. I have fixed many heating and cooling "problems" with a dummy t-stat. Many times if the person thinks they are warmer or colder they don't have an issue. My dad even proved his point by putting a dummy t-stat in the hallway and leaving the temp setting at 70. Then on the other side of the wall in the closet he put the real one. His wife didn't find it for 4 years! The whole time she thought she was getting what she wanted. Dad just played along and finally acted like he gave in. She was none the wiser. Personally I think 62 is a bit cold. 66-68 is plenty low. House plants don't like it colder than that either. If you weigh out the few extra bucks it takes to keep mama happy it is money well spent as far as I'm concerned, cause when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy......

[EAGLE EYES]

You're last sentence, sums it up pretty well! ;-)

[ryan the poor college kid]

hey-
now ****it we're all norwegian ice fishermen right? anything at my trailer house aver 61 degrees and i feel that will hurt my durabilty on the ice. i always prepare by living as cold as possible. ##### the days of summer!!!!

[john mannerino]

My wife says 68 is to WARM!!! I work outside all winter long and I need it warm at night to take out the chill. John

[CANEYE]

68 to 70 degrees is nice. I grew up with a dad who watched his dollars. 62 degrees is way too cool for me. Your wife has a point.

[RANGER]

For us it is - 65 at night and 69 during the day. It is a compromise on both sides but one that keeps the other happy. These are at my upper tolerence and at the wife's lowest.

[Chad]

Guys,

If you dont have an automatic set back thermostat you are wasting tons of $$$$ on heat. They run about $40 and you can program them to lower and raise the temp during certain times of the day. We have ours at 70 from 7 to 8:30 then at 65 from 9 to 5 and 70 from 5 to 11 the back down to 65 from 11 to 7.

Why pay for heat when your not home!

[bountyhunter]

NUMBER ONE RULE KEEP HER HAPPY /or your new fishin rod mite not be under the tree .it can't cost that much more in a yrs time .SO TURN THE DAM THING UP

[wheels]

You guys all have it made! I give in to my wife. Therefore, at any given time I can be found in shorts and a t-shirt in my balmy 72 degree atmosphere. It sucks bad, but hey, there's always a smile on her face and when I say "goin' fitchen" the only response I get is "have fun!". That's well worth the extra buck to me!

I may have to try the phony thermostat though! :-)

"Friends don't let friends fish for trout!"

[rock2me]

I can sum this one up in one sentence..... Happy wife, happy life!!


Good Luck!

[ww]

The digital thermo is the way to go. 68 is the high and 62 is the low. Program it for 62 when your not at home and have it kick in to 68 about 1/2 hour before you get home. 62 at night while your sleeping and have it kick up to 68 1/2hr before you get up in the morning. I'm sure you will save $$$$$$$$$ for bait and more lures!!

[Karla]

I have the automatic thermostat also (coming from a woman) and I set mine the same as yours why pay for the heat when sleeping or not at home. Come home to a warmer house and make all happy. Go to bed and get cozy .
Have fun and be good
Merry Christmas to all
Karla Williams

[John in MN]

Same temps and times we use. Before we had kids we'd set it at 58 when we weren't home. I would prefer 65-66 but if I get too warm I put on shorts or go to the basement where it is 63.

[DarrenB]

I gotta let my wife in on this thread, just to make me look better. 62?? All the way up to 65???? Brrrrr!!

I prefer keeping it at about 68 and my wife thinks I'm crazy for going down that low. We war over the thermostat constantly....She wants it at 72, and we usually end up agreeing around 70. What a quick trigger she has when I leave the room though.I come back 10 minutes later and its at 72 again.

[instigator]

We keep ours at 68 when it gets really cold throw a couple logs in the woodburner and half the time it doesnt even kick on the burner in cmbo the new ceiling fans i just put in everywhere really spred the heat around well.......Fish on.......Instigator#735

[Skis]

Try to keep mine b/w 65-70. 65 when the wife's gone, 68-70 when she's home.

[FJH1]

With the programmable thermostats we keep it at 68 when we're home and 58 when we're sleeping or away. We have them set to bring the temp up 45 minutes before we wake up or come home (hot water base board heating) Like another post said, I've done some extensive renovating and I've installed ceiling fans during the process, helps to keep a slight air flow moving and distributes the heat.

Best Regards,

FJH

[curt quesnell]

68 degrees in the winter (cooler if you can handle it) and
78 degrees in the summer (warmer if you can handle it). the last
time we had an energy crunch these were the recommendations from
the..uh..uh...dont waste energy outfit. (whatever the name was)

i dont bother to look at or touch the thermostat, thats a war not
even worth fighting. i've got floor cable electric heat, a heat pump,
a plenum heater and a natural gas back up. if i ever get all this
stuff paid for im sure i will save more than i spend.(huh?)


curt quesnell

[wiggle]

Here is a tip for ya. If you have a mercury buld thermostat, such as a round Honeywell, adjust it so it is slightly out of level. The thermostat will be set at her desired temp, but the temperature in the house will be at your liking. Your both happy!!!

[T-Mac]

My wife and I both work. Soooo...... during the day we are gone and our "stat" sits at 60, we turn it up to 67 for the evening. then back down to 60 when we go to bed.
For many, many years we were in the lodging business and never ceased to be amazed how, for some people, 65 was wayyyy too cold in winter, but 70 was wayyyy too hot in summer
Grrrrrrrr..:+

[Sheila]

Way down here in FL, my son & I have thermostat wars too. I set it at 82, so the air-conditioner won't come on (as often). Sucker runs all day/night anyway in spring/summer/fall and elec bills are huge. Son constantly moves it lower too, so no saving there. I get about one month relief (no air - December), and right now it's hittin' 60 at night. Blink of the eye and now I'm freezing, my blood is so thin! Couldn't even ice-fish if I wanted to. Soon we'll switch over to the ultra luke-warm baloney fake heater (air handler heat coil that works off the air conditioner, definitely not a furnace). That crappy thing eats up more energy than anything I've ever seen (really huge bills). You gotta turn the heat to like 80 and have the luke-warm air blow about 24 hours to heat the house up a couple measy degrees to like 64 - still no good for thin blood. SO, it's cuddle-duds at night, lay in sun during the day, and keep son away from thermostat at all cost.

[Miller Mi.]

This one is too good to pass up. I own 80 acres in west central Michigan and it gets fairly cold in the winter. I dont really worry about the temp in my house. With four gas wells on my property, I have all the gas I want and its all free. Please dont hate me too much, but I think this is the only way to go. Larry

[Gilligan]

My wife figures out when it's too hot as I just start removing clothes until I get comfortable. She will usually turn it down when the neighbors start staring thru the living room window and laughing!

[Jack G]

Are we talking the thermostat setting for dollar savings or for comfort. I spend thousands on my fishing interests and I would not think of asking my wife to settle for a thermostat setting she found uncomfortable.

Generally she opts for 72 in the winter and 75 in the summer. If it suits her it suits me.

Jack

[Julio,]

Jim C, we are with you.We live in west virginia.Our temp runs up and down.My daughters dont like the furnace, so they bring in wood.As far as temps,we stuff another couple logs to.The key is to get em in when it starts to cool not after.I like the way you have your heat sinks set up.We do erie some but want to do afly in to a cabin with wood heat up north.We can handle er. Julio

[jim c]

Julio :hand made brick house,made about 1820,tripple wall thickness with air space in between,oriented east west length wise,south side facing south with 8 of the 9 windows on it. north & west lined with tall norway sprouce wind breakers. south is clear for sun and i built greenhouse there. tons of thermal mass and will never be done working on it. it must be love.

[Marble Eyes]

72 in the winter, after June 1, it is shut off till late September.
Michigan summers are great for sleeping with the windows open, shut things up before sun up and the house stays cool all day. (well isulated house!)

[foreyes]

You would have to ask my girlfriend.
-- foreyes
"NaNa NaNa NaNa NaNa--FISHING"

[SetTheHook]

I'm a single guy, and I set it at 61-62 when I'm gone or at night. When I'm home, I crank it up to 66-67.

These rules are null and void when my girlfriend is over. She has free rein over the thermostat. I pick my battles and try to save my precious few victories for additional fishing time rather than a little less painful utility bill.

[Julio]

Too cool(no pun intended) Hey, i like that term thermal mass.Definetly food for thought. Store them btus buddy!

[kevin]

I keep mine so low that when the wife needs heat, I treat her by opening the fridge for a few hours. She apreciated that. Merry Xmas all.

[Jbob]

We have ours set at 70 during the day and 60 at night.

[R.MOORE]

REMEMBER....Its not what you make at work .its what you get at home.......TURN IT UP!!!

[Dave in Walker]

Well back when I was married I had the only house in Minnesota with tulips blooming around the foundation in the winter!, my house was just puffing!We were the biggest energy users in all of Minneapolis, when I was at home it was a consstant yoyo with the thermostat, drove me nuts, gas heat, electric heaters, wood stove, kerosene heaters, it was just incredible her comfort range was between 78-80 degrees!
Well I am a happy bachelor living in northern Minnesota and 65 degrees suits me just fine, Shes gone thru one more husband!

[CJHughes@Norstan.com]

It is hard to say since my wife knocked it off the wall . But most of the time it is 68 unless there is a chair pulled up to it ,which means my 3 year old got cold and it is straight up as far as it will go . The heat is turned off in our bedroom ,if she is cold she just needs to get closer.

[Rick]

In Ma I have to maintain at least 68 on my rental units that I heat,...big fines if I don't,..I can't remember a tenant in the units I pay heat for,. letting me keep it lower,..I have some that in the apts that they can control their temps,.and some keep it 80* (no joke) I installed some of those radio transmitter thermometers and can sit at the curb and tell,..of course,..they claim they "have" to have ventilation,..so often a window or two are open to some degree,..interesting when I convent an apt to self pay how that changes,..they want to tack plastic up on all the windows etc,etc....
Anyway,..I have to keep it at around 72 at my office,..so when I get home and am just sitting around,..THAT temp seems cold to me!,..(I 've found fleece tops to really be a winter friend,)...at Christmas I stay at a friends house any they keep it at 65 or so,..and I really freeze,..I know its what you get used to to some extent,...but his two teenage girls tell me they are frozen all winter,....
Again,..not sure if your target is cost or conservation,..but my house IS very energy efficient,..we have used a "blower door" to fix any leaks,...if you esp live in an older house,..its really VERY hard to get it too tight,..I've tried doing this on some apt houses,..did heroics to accomplish this mostly just to see how close I could come to it,.and its VERY hard to do) if you want to check on this,..take a hi volume fan and put it in a window blowing out,..tack plastic over that same window from the inside and them cut out a hole about the same size as the fan,..(so you don't get backblowing) make sure you shut off your furnace/fireplace and close/cut off chimney with dampers or stuff insulation in same (REMEMBER TO REMOVE IT LATER!) turn on the fan on Hi,..stand outside and feel the air comming out of your house,...understand that the same amt is coming in!,..BTW this is a good way to find leaks ,..on a cold day make note of cold air coming in, you will be surprised where and how many leaks you find,.most houses have a 2x2 and even a 3x3 window open at all times MORE than you need if you don't think that is much,..open a window of that size and try to keep your house warm,..,..you also can close most of the rooms off,..(if the fan is in a hall or similar) and one at a time, crack the door to that room very slightly,..you can then tell which rooms are worse,..work on those first,...but after you spend some time calking, sealing ect,..you should feel less air come out when you stand outside,..have someone crack a window,..when there is a LOT off difference,..you are getting close. don't forget to check basements,...those cracks seep in and create a "stack" effect,...pushing air OUT of micro leaks and not so micro leaks in the upper stories,..thats why you don't feel the cold,..the heat is going OUT,..cold coming in from areas that you don't notice so much,..yea some houses CAN be too tight,..but again,..hard to find that on an older house,..(and MANY new ones too) The EPA says a good target is an air exchange every two hours,..many have so called weatherized houses were found to have a complete air exchange every half hour! Anyway,.if you feel its too tight,..you can always crack a window,...at least its your choice. I also increased wall and ceiling insulation,..upgraded windows or added "window quilts" (which are wonderful,)..my oil man says I can't heat this sized house on the oil I use and accuses me of suplimenting with a wood stove etc.
Another thing,..I have a friend that owns a pretty sizable antique building. He heats it with a MONITOR HEATER,..its a Kerosene vented heater (I personally would never use an unvented hydrcarbon heater of any kind) ,...NO fumes/kero odor,.. and increadibly cheap to run,..I think they have a web site,..I also think there is a better competitor but I can't remember their name,..I can't believe he heats this space so cheaply,..(he doesn't have a particularly tight or very insulated structure),..anyway,..some thoughts,..good luck!