Heater Debate

Updated on December 04, 2010
K.M. asks from Eagle Pass, TX
29 answers

My husband and I have had the same disagreement for the past four years every winter...

He says I am abnormal and way to cold all the time, I think the exact opposite and then he is way to warm all the time.
So when it comes to the heater it is a never ending battle of me turing the heat up and him turning it down...
I wear socks, pj bottoms and a long sleeved shirt at night so its not like I am lounging around in nothing and then want the
heater on.
We have two little ones so I also want to keep it warm enough for them.

So my question is what temperature do you keep your house at during the winter???.....

1 mom found this helpful

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S.R.

answers from Austin on

I live in TX and don't let it get below 72 day or night. I have very high ceilings throughout the house so this is probably why if I did lower the temp. it would feel very cold in here. Just 1 degree difference and I feel it right away.

2 moms found this helpful
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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

I would ask the kids (if they are old enough to ask) if they are too warm or too cold at night. Go by whatever they say is comfortable.

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S.H.

answers from Detroit on

64-68. I live in Michigan though, where it is MUCH colder out than I would think Texas would be. When it is 20 degrees outside, mid 60's feels warmish! lol!

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T.O.

answers from San Francisco on

Ours is at 71 right now... and I'm still cold. I told my husband when we were dating "the two things you need to know about women are... we are always cold and we always have to pee".

good luck :)
Toni

4 moms found this helpful
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D.C.

answers from College Station on

More to the point is that the person who feels hottest really can't "undress" or get un-warm. The person who is coldest can get an electric blanket, wear layers of clothes, etc. So, we lean toward the warmest the "hot" person can stand while having the "cold" person add clothing, blankets, etc. I guess that is our compromise.

I'm the "hot" spouse and I've arranged for a light sheet for a cover on my side of the bed with a comforter plus a nearby blanket for his side of the bed! LOL

There is also a cheap thermometer you can find at, say Wal-Mart, which will mark the highest temperature measured (since the last reset, like overnight or over the past 24 hours) as well as the lowest temp measured. I find that handy when I wonder how cold did the kids' room actually get when the thermostat was set at 60 for the night.

I, too, like getting the programmable thermostat so, while during the night the setting is on 60 degrees, then at 6am it kicks up to 68 (maybe a little warmer than that -- don't remember right now). Just in time for my 6:15 alarm clock time.

Good luck!

4 moms found this helpful
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C.G.

answers from Davenport on

71 during the day and 68 at night. Although, I also live in the midwest so maybe that isn't much help.

3 moms found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from New York on

During the day, we keep it arround 68. At night, I'll turn it down to 56 (warm pj's and blankets). Most people will find 58 too cold. I wouldn't go that low if you have little ones.

I highly recommend a programable thermostat. It's set to go up a 1/2 hour before we wake up, so the house is at a comfortable level when we get out of bed in the morning.

2 moms found this helpful

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

72 degrees around the clock in the winter. We have a little one that sleeps in just fuzzy pjs in his crib with a little blanket and his baby monitor tells me the temp in there -- it usually says 71. We try to keep it around there or else he complains :) My daughter's room is unusually cold as is our living room that is over concrete slab so any colder than that is also UNBEARABLE in those rooms. Of course we also keep our air conditioning thermostat setting high (like 78)....so maybe we just like it warm. (by the way- I sleep in socks, fuzzy pjs and with sheets, blanket and comforter with the heat at 72 and also must have a blanket on at all times in our living room .... you are not alone-- I am this cold even when PREGNANT) :)

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

I also live in Texas and keep my thermostat around 72-74. It's not hot, nor is it cold. It's a comfortable medium. Sometimes we turn it lower on warmer days and turn the fans on, but that's the typical heat. My kids sleep in their underwear, (even when we dress them they take their clothes off in the middle of the night), so I make sure it's about 74 for them at nighttime.

Look into getting a down comforter also, it helps keep you warm.

Here are some good ideas about thermostat settings:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-thermostat-tips-save-...#

2 moms found this helpful

T.C.

answers from Austin on

Right now we have the programmable thermostat set to 64. The sun warms the house up to at least 70 during the day. When it gets colder outside, we lower it even more and use electric mattress pads at night. Ours has separate controls on each side, so I can set it warmer than my husband does. We use a little electric heater in my son's bathroom, and we also have a gas fireplace if we want to heat up the family room.
When it's really cold in the house, I usually end up curled up in front of the fireplace with a blanket and a cup of tea, too cold to do anything. (I should go to the gym and get warmed up by exercising instead.)

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H.A.

answers from Dallas on

Hah.. our house is 72-74 right now. Usually I won't turn it any colder then 68. I also bought an electric blanket from Kohls with dual controls. This way I can have my side nice and toasty.

:)

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C.B.

answers from Austin on

I am the "cold" one in the family. All the men in my house walk around in gym shorts and t-shirts meanwhile I look like I have just come from the Alps. I keep my thermostat on 58/60 at night and unless it is freezing during the day I keep it at 64/66 if I am home.

Updated

I am the "cold" one in the family. All the men in my house walk around in gym shorts and t-shirts meanwhile I look like I have just come from the Alps. I keep my thermostat on 58/60 at night and unless it is freezing during the day I keep it at 64/66 if I am home.

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

Our heater comes on at 70 or below. We also have used a duel temp heating blanket for our bed that is great b/c he doesn't like them but I do. Also, I have a heater in my daughters room to maintain temp for her. It is is the kind that won't tip over and if it does it shuts off. It is the

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

67 during the day, 54 at night. We used to keep it at 70, and with this small change it is barely noticed, but it saves us a lot on our energy bills.

1 mom found this helpful

J.G.

answers from San Antonio on

During the day, I turn the heater up b/c I am cold and don't want to have to walk around the house in a jacket and scarf -- I turn it up from 63 to about 68.

At bedtime, we use big comforters on our bed and on my son's bed and we turn it down to 63.

We only do this to save money on our heating bill. Oftentimes, my husband is cold at 65 while we're still awake and watching tv on the couch. But we wear slippers and drape a blanket over ourselves.

So:
When husband's NOT home: 68
When husband comes home from work: 65
Bedtime: 63

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R.B.

answers from San Angelo on

I don't let it get any colder than 68 in my house. I start to feel cold and so does my 4 year old.

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W.L.

answers from Houston on

As I've gotten older (45), I want less and less heat in the winter. Right now at night we use the oil-filled electric space heaters in our bedroom and my daughter's room with the house temp on 68. If it's really cold during the day, we'll probably bump the house temp up to 72 (at most) while we're moving around. Me and my daughter tend to not be cold natured, but my husband doesn't like it -- he'd like it much warmer, which makes me feel like I'm smothering from the heat!! I know what it's like to fight over the thermostat!! In the summer I'd like it on 74, and he's happy with it on 80.... it's not fun. Good luck!

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

If you have sinus problems, ear nose and throat specialist prefer you keep your thermostat turned down so the heat is less drying to the nasal passages etc. We were told to keep our house at 68 during the day and then 65 at night. 68 is chilly for me so as a compromise I keep it at 68 degrees all 24 hours and do not turn it down at night. Actually we both find it on the chilly side. I walk around with a fleece jacket/robe over top of my clothes during the day.

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R.K.

answers from Boston on

we keep it about 68 during the day and 65 at night I'm always cold though so I just bundle up. Flannel or fleece pj bottoms at night and a thermal top and fuzzy socks :) During the day Iayer too but Dad and the boys are always hot so I can't have it any hotter then that or they would roast. Just bundle up a little more.

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A.J.

answers from Killeen on

I like mine around 72 during the day, 65 at night. I'm the hotter spouse, but I think anything below that is just too cold for my little ones. I also know we need new weather stripping around our doors, so maybe once we get that fixed it will be warmer in here and we can set the temp lower. My husband would like the temp set at about 78 (he's really skinny, so he has no natural insulation LOL)

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L.S.

answers from Spokane on

We keep our house between 68-70 (depending on how cold it is outside) during the day, and around 67 at night. But our kids end up in bed with us every night, so we all stay pretty cozy :)

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C.B.

answers from Cleveland on

We keep ours around 63 during the day and at 58 for the night. Yes, it is cold in our house but if we turned it up anymore, our gas bill would be $200 or more a month. We are having an energy audit done in a couple weeks so, hopefully, we will find out some low cost ways to make our house more energy efficient and we can turn the thermostat up a couple degrees.

I think if we turned it up to 70 during the day, my whole family would roast. We are used to the cold and lots of times my girls don't have socks on and neither do I.

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C.T.

answers from San Antonio on

We rarely use the heat at all, but I have a space heater right next to my side of the bed to turn on when I get cold. My DH & son are always hot so it would be a waste of money for us to turn the heater on just for me. A space heater is cheaper and more efficient.

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

Overnight 67 and during the day 70

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M.B.

answers from Houston on

Like you, I live in TX. And like you, I am cold all the time, while my hubby is warm all the time. I would love to keep the house around 75. He would love to keep the house around 65. So we compromise and keep it around 70. Then he tends to hang out in shorts and a t-shirt, and I tend to wear long sleeves and pants. In bed, he throws all the covers off, and I pile them on. (So often have all of my covers plus all of his. LOL.)

M.B.

answers from Beaumont on

73 now that I am menopausal. I hate being cold. I used to keep it at 74. During the day when we are all gone I turn it up to 70 to keep the dog warm too! Ha!

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

Same over here, but it's not a fight for us. We usually keep it at about 70-72. Then, there's a space heater in our bedroom in case I get a chill. Because his body is so warm (Seriously, they are therapeutic. He puts his hands on my neck to warm me when we are out.) and mine is so cool, we have an agreement that if he wants the heat lowered when we go to bed, then he's got to sleep with his leg on top of me or something. Lying against his leg warms me up. He puts his hand on my shoulder until I get settled in.

My point is that you should work together instead of against each other, each trying to be right. My husband puts the heat on for me because he knows that I need it, especially if I've just walked in. Once the chill is knocked off, I let him know that it's okay to lower it so he can feel good. We're concerned about each other's comfort. Are the children really cold or are you projecting your cold onto them? (Lol, "I'm cold, so you should wear a sweater.") I'm sure that you know to make sure that they are wearing socks and sleeves. If they're being active, then they're okay.

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P.B.

answers from Houston on

I don't know how your house is laid out, but remember heat rises so that the upstairs will be HOT when the downstairs is cold. Our bedroom is down and the kids' are up. If I have the heat any higher than 68 downstairs, it's too hot for my kids to sleep.

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B.M.

answers from Waco on

We keep ours between 67-68. We have a programmable thermostat that helps with keeping the temp regulated automatically, so for instance, during the day when no one is typically home, it drops to 59, but by the time we get home in the evenings, it heats the house to 68. I typically will wear socks, house shoes and a light jacket inside if I get cold while at home. Of course, that's if I'm idle not moving around...if I start doing house work then I work up a sweat! Lol! Also, insulation helps tremendously. We just remodeled one of our bedrooms and insulated the outside walls, and it really makes a difference. It's actually the warmest room in the house now. (We have an older model home and no insulation was put in the walls.) You might check into other ways of conserving heat also, such as weatherproofing doors/window. Stay warm!

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