What is your thermostat set at?

[megumic]

Ugh. Along with the Northeast winters comes a nice fat gas bill for the heat.

What is your thermostat set at (also what's the average outside temp)? What short-cuts have helped you keep the heat in and the bitter cold out??

 

[Tanzigrrl]

66 degrees. We're in the South having a colder than usual winter. We just got all new windows in August and we're finding that helps a lot!

 

[somethingshiny]

Right now we're at 21* outside with blustery winds. Our thermostat is at 66 during the day and 64 at night. It used to be at 64 during the day and 60 at night but I can't do that to the kids!

Last night our windchill was 15 below so we only got to about 62 inside with it set as above. We keep our drapes closed on cloudy and dark days and night. I only open them if the sun can come in.

I do have a heat vent open in the basement because it seems that if the floors don't get too cold, you can stand a lower temp more easily.

You can switch directions on your ceiling fans to bring warm air down. I rarely do this because I don't like to have the slight breeze, but in a bigger house I think it would be a good energy saving tip.

I'm a firm believer in dressing for the weather too. You don't need to be comfortable in shorts and a tank top indoors. Put on pants and socks and you'll be fine. We all love to cuddle up in blankets too.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

62, We live in a drafty old Victorian on the coast of Connecticut. We plastic seal the windows and put towels in front of the doors. We wear sweats and slippers in the house and use plenty of blankets everywhere. Dogs are great little space heaters too! Plus we bake more. May as well benefit from that super hot oven somehow

 

[manderz]

I don't even want to admit it! It's set at like 72 because there's a heating vent right below our thermostat, and it's nice and toast right there, but the rest of the house is freezing.

 

[Tuckins1]

I live in Michigan. Average temp for this time of year is around 30 degrees, but it's been bitter cold!!! Temps often drop below freezing a lot of the time here, and it can be windy and snowy. Our thermostat is at 68 degrees year round. We renovated out house and added insulation (there was NONE), new windows, new doors, plus spray insulation and caulk for the windows.... Really makes a huge difference!!

 

[zoebartlett]

Well, yesterday, the temp was 50-51 outside and today it's about 20. That's New England for you! We keep our thermostat at 73 I think.

 

[soocool]

Currently 66 at night or it would take forever for the house to warm up by 6 am when we get up. During the day 71 when I am home, 68 when no one is home. Temps this am was in the teens and this afternoon was 27 (3pm).

 

[stone-cold11]

55F.

 

[Dancing Fire]

55F.

WOW ...your house is Stone -cold...

 

[Skippy123]

72 and 68 when we go to sleep. I should keep it lower.

 

[lulu66]

ours usually stays on 68* (i stay freezing though & will wear sweatshirts, socks, & stay wrapped up in my blanket). and this week it's been highs 60s lows in the mid-30s.

 

[Haven]

During the day we keep it at 67 to 69, depending on the weather outside.
At night it's 58. We sleep under an electric blanket, three cats, and two dogs.

 

[vc10um]

66 all day and all night. Both FI and I routinely get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and neither of us is really willing to drop the thermostat any lower overnight. We're in Metro DC and while it's *usually* mid 40s this time of year, it's been in the upper 20s recently and I am NOT a fan.

 

[Kaleigh]

68 for the most part and it's damn cold here... I can't drop it much lower because of older doggie and the bird.

 

[packrat]

Heat stays on 67. We got the house sided and new windows 2 years ago, we shingled last year, we bought great black out curtains for all the windows that help keep the cold out in the winter and keep the heat out in the summer. I look like the Michelin man most of the winter b/c I'm so bundled up. I detest being cold. Bedtime tho, I usually change to shorts/tshirt b/c JD is like a blast furnace. I could dress warmer and just not get under the covers but..the odd thing is,then I feel cold if I don't at least have a sheet on me, and the fun part about living in a cold place is being able to snuggle under 20# of blankets.

 

[KimberlyH]

I live in San Diego. The heater is set to 65 during the day and 68 at night, but I usually turn it up to 70 in the middle of the night. I heat our daughters' room with a space heater for ~1 hour before I put her to bed. The thermostat is in the hall, which is carpeted, the bedrooms all have wood floors and are cooler than the thermostat reads.

We don't have A/C.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

58 with the average outside temp being anywhere between 20 and 40 depending on the day. Our house is just odd, it stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I know there's not anything great and special about it so it's beyond me how this happens.

 

[megumic]

Ugh. As much as I love to bundle up, it just sucks to be freezing cold. We keep it at 64 at night, 68 if we're home during the week, 62 during the weekdays when we're at work/school and 66 on the weekends. I think our thermostat says it's warmer than it is, which if it's true, it could be like 59 in here!!! I dream of 70!!!

The things we do to save money, and contribute to the environment at the same time, I suppose...

Miserably freezing and wearing a thousand articles of clothing...

 

[marcy]

72F. Too chilly for me and too warm for DH. DH travels for work and I used to turn the temp up while he was gone but then I froze to death when he got home so I just leave it alone now.

 

[that_someone_special]

75-77

I can't control it because it's for the whole building (condos) We are at the warmest, where as the people across from us are at the coldest. If they would just get proper storm windows... so I just don't even want to know what our heating bill is going to be.

We have 10 radiators and I have 2-3 turned off and our place is STILL that hot. gah.

 

[diamondringlover]

its 68 during the day and 62 when we sleep, however to save on money we run a kerosene heater in our kitchen when its really cold. We live in a 100 yr old farm house with original windows and unheated crawl spaces, we have to run kerosene or our heating bills would be tremendous!

 

[stone-cold11]

55F.

WOW ...your house is Stone -cold...

Hmm... I thought that was the standard? Guess not...

Ya, at night and when I am out of the apartment, I drop it down to 50F, just enough to prevent pipe freezing. I sleep in a sleeping bag. When my girlfriend comes over, it will be in the 65 most probably.

 

[elrohwen]

We set it at 65 while we're home and 55 while we're out. The average highs have been in the 20s for the past couple weeks, though usually it's not this cold until January. (Connecticut)

It's a cold 65 though - MIL sets her house at the same temp and I'm always so much warmer there. On the weekends I always need to bundle up in our house to stay warm. I do like when it's freezing in the bedroom though so I can snuggle under our super warm comforter.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

We set it at 65 while we're home and 55 while we're out. The average highs have been in the 20s for the past couple weeks, though usually it's not this cold until January. (Connecticut)

It's a cold 65 though - MIL sets her house at the same temp and I'm always so much warmer there. On the weekends I always need to bundle up in our house to stay warm. I do like when it's freezing in the bedroom though so I can snuggle under our super warm comforter.

Have you had snow in your part of CT? I haven't and I'm quite upset. There's no point in having this cold without snow!

 

[rhbgirl24]

We're currently set at 65 when home, 60 when not home, and 63 during the night. A little cold for me, but our gas bill would be insane! We're in NJ and right now its high of 20s-30s and low in the teens. brrrrr

 

[atroop711]

Our building gives way too much heat. This leads to bloody noses, dry skin and the use of fans in my apt. We keep some windows open to get some cool air in here. It's too hot and too dry...so hot that my son was sleeping with only a diaper on and my daughters are using their summer PJs. Ugh..hate it

 

[elrohwen]

We set it at 65 while we're home and 55 while we're out. The average highs have been in the 20s for the past couple weeks, though usually it's not this cold until January. (Connecticut)

It's a cold 65 though - MIL sets her house at the same temp and I'm always so much warmer there. On the weekends I always need to bundle up in our house to stay warm. I do like when it's freezing in the bedroom though so I can snuggle under our super warm comforter.

Have you had snow in your part of CT? I haven't and I'm quite upset. There's no point in having this cold without snow!

We had a teeny weeny bit this week - Monday night maybe? There's just a dusting on the ground, but it's stuck around since the temps are always in the 20s. We also had about an inch or two last Friday, but then it rained all day Saturday and washed it away. I'm up above the I-84 "snowbelt" (barely, since I practically live on the highway). The ocean is probably keeping you from having any. But I agree - I'd at least like to have a little snow! (it would be better if CT would actually salt the roads though so I could get out of my house when it snows)

 

[geckodani]

In MI. As Tuckins said, it's FRIGID right now. single digits at night. It's 26 outside and it feel comparatively warm to me.

Apartment stays at 68-70 when we are home and awake, 66 at night and when we're gone.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Our building gives way too much heat. This leads to bloody noses, dry skin and the use of fans in my apt. We keep some windows open to get some cool air in here. It's too hot and too dry...so hot that my son was sleeping with only a diaper on and my daughters are using their summer PJs. Ugh..hate it

When I lived in an apt in Buffalo that paid for heat, dear jeebuz! it was 80 degrees all the time! I had to crack windows to keep from burning up! I lived above a bunch of elderly people who loved to be warm.