What’s the ideal temperature to heat my home to?
With the soaring costs of gas it’s very tempting to turn the heating off at every possible opportunity. But fluctuating temperatures can actually do more long term damage to a home so it’s important to settle on a nice even temperature.
This is a challenge in many British properties as older houses and flats often have large disparities in the temperatures of different rooms. Interior rooms may stay warm due to an enclosure of very thick walls. Meanwhile any newer extensions to the property may have thinner walls and also be more exposed to the elements. Anyone living in a terraced house will certainly find that the sides of the house which are not banked by neighbours have much cooler rooms.
Heat the Human or the Home?
While there is a lot of narrative currently on how to ‘heat the human and not the home’ – this is a crisis tactic for those who are not fortunate enough to be able to afford to have their heating on. Although you may think that turning the heating off as much as possible will save your gas bills, what will actually happen is that a lack of heating will make your house a fertile breeding ground for black mould. Black mould can do long term damage to a property – not to mention people’s health. Leaving black mould to proliferate unchecked can actually be fatal as it causes respiratory problems – especially in the young. To prevent excessive condensation building up around windows and other areas of houses (which in itself does damage to the fixtures), we have given you some tips on how to heat your house to the right temperature consistently.
What is the optimum temperature to set my thermostat to?
This is of course down to personal preference, but a temperature of 17C is quite sufficient to spread a nice even liveable temperature through the house. However if you have newborns or older residents in your property you may want this to be much higher – right up to 22C. Many people find that they want a different temperature at night to during the day as it’s hard to sleep when a room is too hot. The Energy Saving Trust advises that you heat your property to 18-21C during winter and the World Health Organisation suggests 18C is the perfect temperature for healthy and well-dressed people (yes you should still wear pyjamas at night in Winter!). Both organisations also state that 18C is the ideal temperature for sleeping.
How do I get an even heat through my property?
If you’re relying on a thermostat you have to decide which will be the reference room for the property. If you choose a colder room, the heating will be on more often and the warmer (better insulated) rooms of the house will probably feel too hot. Conversely if you pop the thermostat into a room with thicker walls, it will hold its heat longer, the heating will come on less, and the colder rooms will suffer. The best way to avoid these pitfalls is to get a Nest or Hive smart tech heating system which knows how to spread the heat evenly through rooms which would normally be uneven. These Smart heating controls also learn to adapt to how you like your heating – which is great for ensuring the heating is turned down when you are out of the house or at night. Furthermore when you’re on holiday you can’t just turn the heating off as this could lead to frozen pipes or be hazardous for any pets left behind (with pet-sitters looking after them). Hive or Nest are a great way to remotely control the heat in your home via an app.
If you don’t want to set up smart heating technology then you just have to adjust the thermostatic radiator valves through your property to try and even the heat out.
MP Plumbing
We recommend you fit a thermostatic valve on every radiator or use Smart tech like Nest or Hive to help get that extra level of control over your heating system. Contact us now to recommend what you need and get it fitted professionally today.
