In a perfect world, I would have the temperature set at 72 degrees, 365 days a year {and be wearing a light jacket}. The HH, not so much. He prefers it to be cooler…much, much cooler…in the summertime anyway. I’ve always known it was a male/female thing, but it wasn’t until I stumbled onto an article on treehugger.com that I actually got the science behind it.
According to the article, men are typically leaner than women. Their higher muscle mass equates to them having a higher metabolic rate, which keeps them significantly warmer. Apparently, women have a “20 to 32 percent” lower metabolic rate than men {on average, of course}, so it is harder for them to keep warm.
And you know when you walk into a bank or doctor’s office and are immediately wishing you would have stashed a sweatshirt in your purse? Well, likely those low temperatures are to accommodate men in suits–men who are already feeling a lot warmer than their professional female counterparts. It has always seemed like such a waste to keep buildings so cold, but I guess it makes sense that it is in an attempt to please 50% if the population.
If money was not an issue {hey, those a/c bills can be a killer in the summer}, and energy was limitless, what would be your perfect indoor temperature?
~Mavis
Jonnie says
My preferred temperature is 62. I am OCD about my sleeping habits, and like covering up. I sleep great, if it is cool enough to do this. At the very least I have to cover my behind. However, doing this in high heat, means I toss and turn, and can’t get any decent rest. I have to sleep with my feet uncovered, though
I know it’s strange, but I have done this since childhood. The reason I Need to do this is a mystery.
Deborah says
Jonnie, I’m with you on covering up. I do know why I have to have covers on. I had a peeping Tom when I was an early teen (13 – 14). I also have to have the windows covered.
Mavis says
Very strange, but that 62 degrees would freeze me out for sure!
Ginger says
62 is my preferred temp for sleeping as well! I do enjoy it somewhere between 65-68 during the day, though. I’d much rather need to throw on a sweater or a blanket than be sweating my bum off.
Kathy says
Right now, at 10:54 in the morning in NE Ohio, it is 73 inside, 67 degrees outside and PERFECT. I like it between 70-75 degrees in here year round. The men in the house run cold and never complain, unless it gets below 70 then they say it’s too cold. I tell them put on a sweater. Or wear the bathrobe.
Susan says
My ideal indoor temperature is 68 degrees 🙂
pamela sheppard says
It depends where I am. If at work I prefer 68. I work retail and am constantly on the move. It tends to run warm in the store. At home I would love 75. That would feel like heaven since the air conditioning is only used a handful of days a year because of the expense.
Jennifer E. says
I live in St. Louis, Mo. The summers here are typically hot and humid. I live in a house built in 1936. We have new windows, newer insulation in walls and attic. I say newer insulation but in reality that’s about 18 years now! The windows are only 3years though. The furnace/ac is about 6 years old now. With all these improvements we notice a huge difference in how comfortable our home is. We keep it 76 summer. Winters here vary in temps, but can get quite cold. We keep it at 67 in winter. At 67 degrees you usually need a sweater or something but I feel we are doing our part in being greener that way.
Mavis says
Maybe I should sent the HH to live with you in the winter. He’d love the 67 degree house!
Deborah says
72 to 76 would be great with me. Hubby would want it warmer. He has health problems so he gets colder than I do. I prefer snuggling under the covers to sleep, but being comfortable just sitting in the house. We have our thermostat set on 78 so he doesn’t freeze while in the house. He spends a lot of time on our screened in porch. He does have a fan blowing on him, but with the temps in triple digits, I don’t know how he can stand the heat.
Mavis says
I might melt at 78 degrees all the time and the HH would probably leave me! 😉
Butterflyweed says
I think the different temperature tolerances that men and women have are due to our genetic differences. Women care for babies and must be extremely aware of the ambient temperature so infants and small children can be covered up to prevent hypothermia or uncovered to prevent hyperthermia. The men in my family do not seem to notice one way or the other whether it is hot or cold, they just go about their day. I have about a 4 degree comfort zone where I am either too hot or too cold. I think it’s ancient biology.
Lisa from MN says
Summer is about 77 degrees.
Winter is 67-68 during the day and 64 at night.
Ashley says
I tend to run cold, but when I’m warm, I’m HOT. So I like it around 68-70, depending on how the humidity is. Before children, we kept our house at 62-64 in the winter because we worked all day and liked it cool at night. But apparently we’re not supposed to freeze our children, so now we keep it around 68 in the winter.
tholl says
I read an article a while ago that I found very interesting….I guess normal is what you are raised with! http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21537988
Mrs. Chow says
My preferred temperature varies with the humidity. It’s a funny thing, but lower humidity makes it seem cooler in the summer and winter, so in the winter, you want to add humidity to the air because it feels warmer. I’d like it around 72 year round, with about 50% humidity.
That being said, the HH, me, and our 4 dogs run hot. The HH and I also don’t want to pay high electric bills. In our new place, we have ceiling fans in every room, so we use those and try not to use the A/C. So, in the summer, IF we turn on the A/C, it’s for one degree below the room temperature, just to pull the humidity out of the air. It really works. A few days ago it was 80 inside, and the dogs were panting, so I set it to 79 and turned it on. Worked like a charm.
In the winter, we have the heat set at 55-58 degrees. Yes, I know. We wear a lot of sweaters and wool socks. We have also started using a wood stove, which helps a lot. All six of us feel more comfortable at the lower temperature. The humans can take sweaters off if they get too hot. The pups snuggle or not, depending on the temperature.
Tammy says
We keep our thermostat set at 75 during the day and 73 during the night (during summer). I’m comfortable at that temp, I don’t like to be cold so unless I’m running around doing a lot of housework, I usually leave the thermostat as it is.
In the winter we have the heater set at 68 during the day and 65 during the night. I’m always freezing.
Lauralli says
That’s exactly what we do! Except I still get cold during the day during winter. I always have on a fleece jacket and a blanket wrapped around my legs!
My comfort level has only about a 4 degree variation. I would prefer it to be about 75 during the day, 72-73 at night, in summer (I live in Arkansas where it is VERY hot and humid!). In winter, I would prefer about 72 during the day, 68 at night.
Connie says
I prefer 75 in summer and at least 70 in the winter and I wear long sleeves or a sweatshirt year round inside. I lost a lot of weight in the past couple of years so I think that has something to do with it. But on the other hand my Husband likes it freezing in the house.
JC says
We live in the desert SW so we can keep our air higher. We keep the a/c at 78/79 in the summer, which starts sometime in April and runs into October. In the winter we set the heat to 69/70, with the heat going on in late Nov and running into March.
Marlena says
I love the house at 75! 70 for sleeping. All year around. Not a big fan of AC. Can’t wait for the nice Fall nights when I can open the windows again. 🙂
Ali says
I’d like no more than 70 during the daytime, and about 62 at night. My husband, daughter, and I cannot sleep if it’s over about 68 at night. We are much, much more likely to spend money on A/C than heat. Must come with our upstate NY blood!
Katie says
I’m in central Texas. If money weren’t an issue, I’d probably like the AC on 75 during the summer. But since we run a tight budget, we have it set on 78/79. We also only run the AC from as late in May as possible to as early in September as possible. I’m not sure about the winter because we usually don’t run the heat, we just bundle up and use a space heater in our room at night. We have our first baby coming this December though, so I’ll probably end up turning the heat on, in which case, maybe 65?
Katie says
Also, I lost a lot of weight after college so I get colder more easily. My husband used to get hot easily, but after a deployment in Afghanistan with high triple digits, he also gets cold more easily. So I don’t have to worry about keeping it down to keep him happy 🙂
Deborah from FL says
Here in central Florida, I keep my house at 74 in the daytime, and 70 at night. I can’t sleep if it’s any warmer. And I really don’t like keeping the house above 74 during the day.
During the winter, I only use the heat a couple of times, and then just in the morning to get break the chill. Otherwise, I like the cold.
NCJill says
FYI…..I am a petite 50 yr old and have ALWAYS been cold. (Yep, I’m the one dragging my blanket to church, Bible Study, grocery store and sleeping w the heating blanket in the summer!) I just figured God made me this way and coped.
After going to an integrative Dr last year, I was diagnosed w HYPOthyroidism. I’m taking a little pill daily now and am amazed at the difference. I even packed away the heating blanket till fall!
Karen says
Who says men like it cooler? If you are in menopause you can easily freeze out your husband. We have central air and I use it during the peak hot time of the day and have a ceiling fan running 24-7 in our bedroom with the window at least partly open(even winter). I was always a “warm” type and it is worse now. Sixty eight degrees year round please! The breathable air must be cool or I stuff up and wake continually all night. I over heard one husband say if he did not have ac at his home it was life or death for him. We live in Canada not north of the Idaho border and our summers are very hot here (orchard country including peaches). Our winters are usually very mild. I don’t mind spending the money for AC because I don’t drink alcohol,smoke or wear jewelery(Ifind it annoying) I hang my clothes out to dry and grow a large container garden so that I buy almost no produce all spring , summer and fall.