It is cold, the kind of cold that makes you rethink why you were not born a plant so you would not have to go to work. And even inside houses you cannot stand the cold, but you want to turn on the heating without the electricity bill making you pay with a kidney, right? And the usual doubt, to how many degrees should you set the heating so you do not have to be at home wearing a coat?
Well, before you get bored, we are going to tell you that there is no perfect temperature for the whole house, even though for many years they sold us the magic number of 19ºC. The key is to adapt the heat to each room and not fall short or go overboard in any of them.
Is there no magic temperature?
No, even though for many years there were even TV ads telling us that the ideal temperature at home was 19º, that it was the most economical and efficient, and in theory it heated the house. But the reality is that everything has changed, including home insulation. Now we have thicker windows and more modern heating systems, and even people working in pajamas at home from 6 AM, and all of that influences things. Tell me if you are going to set the house to 19º when you get up at that hour.
In addition, more things influence than just the number on the thermostat. It depends on humidity, on whether you are moving or sitting, or on how you are dressed at home. That is why keeping all rooms equally warm does not make much sense.
What does each room need?
Does it make sense to heat the bathroom the same as a bedroom? Do you move the same there as in the living room? Each space in the house has its own function, and each function needs a different temperature. That is why you should adjust it to each room in the house, and that way you will save energy.
Our tips
We are going to give you tips for each room and what we think is most convenient. Grab paper and pen and then thank us when the electricity bill arrives.
- For the living room and common areas, 20º is ideal. It is a place where we work, read, sometimes sleep, or watch TV. 20º is a comfortable temperature to simply exist without overspending.
- For the bedroom, experts never recommend that it be too warm, so we recommend between 16 and 18 degrees. Just make sure you dress warmly. According to them, at these temperatures sleep is better and deeper, and you wake up fewer times during the night.
- For the bathroom, here it is worth doing an extra, because getting out of the shower in the middle of winter is criminal. So here we recommend 22º, but only occasionally. That temperature is not needed all day.
Smart heating?
Yes, now everything is smart, but we promise you this actually works. It is about using a bit of common sense so that only the rooms that are used are heated, adjusting schedules and temperatures depending on whether you are home or not. There is no point in keeping the bedroom warm if you are not going to step into it all day, right?
Experts say that this way you can save up to 15% of what you spend on heating, without being cold.
Technology helps, but habits are needed
Of course smart thermostats and zoned systems are much easier to use, but you also need logical habits to avoid spending more than you should. Do not heat the house just in case, or rooms where you are not going to be, and we guarantee that at the end of the month everything will be cheaper.