We Ask What is the Ideal Home Temperature?

January 24, 2020Heating

At DSB we have been keeping homes warm and cosy for over 15 years. In this blog, we will look at the ideal temperatures for each room in your home and how high the thermostat needs to be for vulnerable people like new-born babies and the elderly.

Looking into research the recommended heating for your home should be between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius during the winter. This is an ideal temperature range for healthy and well-dressed people, as well as for sleeping. Your home should be heated based on the age and health of your household. The World Health Organisation suggests 20 degrees is the ideal temperature for the old, young or unwell, with healthy adults having a heated home that feels comfortable to them.

New-born Babies

The ideal temperature for a baby’s room is 16 to 20 degrees. It’s vital that the newborn’s room is neither too hot or cold as there could be a risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

The Elderly

For elderly people, a change in the room temperature can present several health risks

Less than 9 degrees has the potential to lead to hypothermia
9-12 degrees or 24 degrees increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks

Age UK suggests that the elderly should heat their main living areas to 21 degrees and heat the rest of the home to 18 degrees.

Is it a good idea to leave the heating on while on holiday?

Only heat your home during a holiday if there’s a possibility of freezing, you could return to a flooded house and costly repairs. To prevent it from freezing, set the thermostat at around five degrees Celsius. Most of the modern boilers on today’s market have inbuilt frost protection, allowing the boiler to protect itself by turning on as the temperature drops.

In the Summer it makes sense to switch off your heating while you’re away. Only leave it on if you have pets in the home, or away for an extended period of time and want to minimise the risk of mould or mildew building up.

Heating the home in the Summer?

Should we heat our homes in the Summer? During daylight hours there’s no need to heat your home as it is warm enough, but if the temperature drops at night and you feel uncomfortable, turn the thermostat up a notch or two.

Another idea is to improve the insulation of your home, this will allow your home to retain more heat during the day, relying less on the central heating.

Using an extra degree of heat

According to some research you can save around £80 a year if you turn down your heating by one degree. Why not try giving your home a lower temperature.

Smart heating

Hive Active makes it easier to manage the temperature of your home. Hive can activate the heating when you’re on your way home, you can also switch off the heating when you go to work and it tracks the temperature using the temperature sensor within.