Table Of Contents
Indoor Temperatures
During cold weather, it is essential you set appropriate indoor temperatures. After all, you may have your personal preference or may look to save on heating bills. But you have to consider how low you can go. In other words, you may ask yourself, how cold is too cold for a house? And what are some target temperatures you should aim for?
Read on for answers to these questions. Also, this article will consider the effects of cold weather, why low temperatures are sometimes considered normal, and some solutions to cold weather. To round it up, this article will also look at factors involved in choosing a heater and the services of home energy experts.
Effects Of Cold Weather In Australia
Statistics show that cold weather kills more people in Australia than in extreme heat. For instance, in 2015, Australia recorded more deaths related to cold temperatures than Sweden – where winter is longer.
Similarly, an international study shows that between 1988 and 2009, Australia had almost 7% of all deaths attributed to cold weather. NSW health records indicate that over 40 people show up at emergency rooms every month due to prolonged exposure to cold weather.
The documented health effects of exposure to cold weather include respiratory, cardiovascular, and communicable diseases.
Why Low Temperatures Are Seen As Normal
Some people would rather wear several sweaters, snuggle hot water bottles, or use electric blankets instead of keeping the thermostat set at warmer temperatures. They may even see keeping warm as an afterthought. Here are some reasons for this.
Climate control is expensive
Generally, hot degree days in most of Australia are more than cold degree days. Thus, more energy is expended to warm houses in winter than in summer. Furthermore, some homes have little or no heating systems. These factors make climate control too expensive.
Poorly insulated and designed houses
Some houses have poor insulation and dwelling design. In addition, the windows and doors may be poorly sealed. They suffer air leaks and let in cold air while already warmed air escapes. Therefore, your house stays cold despite heating. Ultimately, the cost of keeping the home warm goes up.
Poor building standards
Several houses followed poor geothermal heating performance standards when they were built. The standard may not have been revised, and already constructed homes may not be subject to quality, insulation, or warmth checks.
High cost of heating
It is simply a question of high heating energy bills. The cost to properly heat up draughty or poorly insulated homes is quite prohibitive. After all, you may be in a rental tenancy, and your landlord is unwilling to undertake upgrades.
What Temperature Is Too Cold For A Home?
The human body is not designed to consistently withstand the constant cold for a long time. It can lead to adverse health effects. Nevertheless, some people keep their thermostats set to as low as 7.2 °C. This is actually the lowest it can go. This is extreme, don’t you think?
According to reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO), your indoor temperature should be at a minimum of 17.4 °C. In terms of degrees Celsius, based on individual preferences, the recommended temperature should range between 18-24.
If there are infants, sick or elderly people in your home, they would require warmer temperatures. In that case, you should keep your thermostat set at 21.1 °C. Personal preferences can also play a key role in keeping their temperatures low.
For example, some people prefer their indoor temperatures to be cooler than 17.7 °C. After all, when you are under your warm blanket, you might not consider such a temperature level to be cool. If you wish to save on your heating bills, maybe think about dropping the indoor temperature to 16.6 °C.
When there is no one at home
What if your house is empty for the day? This is where a Wi-Fi or programmable thermostat can be useful. You can drop the temperature down to 14.4 °C. After that, the programmable thermostat can automatically warm the house back up before you return home.
Temperature to set for a vacant house
Another instance where you may wish to save on your home energy bill is when you are on vacation. Or perhaps, you simply need to leave your house vacant for quite some time. In that case, you can set the temperature anywhere between the range of 10-15.5 °C. It should not be too cold inside your home. Otherwise, you might return home to frozen pipes.
Reason not to go below 10 °C
Some spots and areas in your home get colder than others. For example, pipes located inside walls tend to get colder than the indoor temperatures. As such, keeping the thermostat set to 10 °C as a minimum would help account for the difference in temperatures. As such, make sure you insulate any exposed pipes in your attic or basement if they are not heated.
When you set the temperature below 10 °C, it is possible you may return home and find busted pipes and water damage everywhere. Your pipes can freeze and burst extremely low temperatures. Therefore, it is advisable to set the temperature to 10 °C at a minimum. Preferably, if your home is not properly winterised or set up for the winter months, you may keep the temperature between 12.7-15.5 °C.
Temperature To Set During Warm Weather
When the weather turns warm and you are home, you can set your cooling system to 25.5 °C. However, for periods when you will be away from the house for four or more hours, you can keep your thermostat set so that the cooling system is triggered only when the temperature tops 31 °C.
Recommended temperature for cold periods
During cold periods, you can have your thermostat set at 20 °C when you are in the house. But the temperature should be lowered when you are sleeping or away.
Keep your thermostat set at a constant temperature
The geothermal heating and overall thermal energy of your home need to be stable. This will help keep your home warmer on the inside than outside. To achieve this, keep your thermostat set at a constant temperature.
Temperature setting for air conditioner
During warmer months, the ideal temperature you can have your thermostat set to is 25.5 °C. This is considered the most efficient setting for your air conditioner. If you lower the temperature, say to 22.2 °C, you will end up increasing your cooling costs.
Solutions To Cold Weather
You do not have to keep asking the question ‘how cold is too cold for a house?’ every winter. There are simple and practical solutions to cold weather you could implement in your home. These solutions include the following:
Consider home energy efficiency
First, when building a house, people should make certain home energy considerations. A house standard that assures energy efficiency should be followed. In addition, you should consider an investment in heating and cooling systems such as hydronic heating. Think about buying or renting well-designed warm houses. This way, you can reduce utility gas bills in the long term.
Improve performance standards and retrofitting schemes
Both the government and the construction industry can focus on improving performance standards when building new houses. Similarly, the retrofit schemes implemented to upgrade old houses should allow occupants to stay warm without over-reliance on heating.
Reduce general fuel poverty
National leaders can take strong measures to reduce prevalent fuel poverty. This measure should include policy responses to reduce the impact of high energy costs for the really vulnerable.
For instance, there could be policies that give targeted energy concessions. Others could standardise consumer power contracts. Perhaps, other policies could subsidise bulk energy purchasing schemes based on welfare.
Perform preventive and corrective maintenance
You may incur some costs, but doing repairs and upgrades as necessary will help you cut down your energy bills in the long term. Perhaps, you may need a central boiler installation to properly distribute steam. Other forms of repairs can include furnace, boiler, mini-split, air conditioner, and heating repairs in your home.
Properly insulate your home
Pay attention to your insulation, especially if your home is older, as it may not meet basic insulation requirements. Reflective foil insulation for external or outside walls did not become a requirement until 1991. Similarly, bulk insulation only became mandatory in 2005.
Find out if your home needs these forms of insulation, and make arrangements to have an expert install them for you. Also, seal off gaps to help keep out cold draughts from entering your building.
How To Reduce Heat Loss
Some areas of your home account for a more significant percentage of heat loss. For instance, in some homes, the ceiling records above 25% heat loss. Your walls may record around 15% , while your windows account for close to 10% of heat loss.
You may find your indoor temperatures rising after you install under-floor insulation. This is good because you will end up reducing your gas bills. While you are at it, remember to check if you need any ceiling insulation.
Double glaze and insulate windows
Bare windows account for up to 40% heat loss in your home. That is why you should double-glaze your windows. Double glazed windows are an energy-efficiency feature in homes both economically and environmentally. In addition, you can block draughts and cold air when it is night. Simply make use of heavy curtains rather than blinds to insulate the windows.
Let in sunshine
The amount of sun that enters your home can contribute to the warmth of your house. You can keep your blinds open during the day. This will let in sunlight. In turn, your rooms can get warm before the temperature goes down at night. This can be most useful for those rooms facing your home’s north and west sides.
Use soft furnishings
You may not like the rugs and curtains in your home that much, but such soft furnishings such as these help warm up cold surfaces. They are effective at preventing heat from escaping. Besides, if you have timber floorboards raised above the ground, rugs and carpeting can add more insulation layers.
Redecorate well
It is possible to employ redecorating tricks to fix the problem. Place wardrobes or bookshelves in front of bare walls. This will add more insulation. Again, you can move your couches and beds away from windows. This will keep you away from icy areas.
Invest in better heating systems
If you successfully implement the above steps to reduce heat loss, your heating systems will not need so much work. Additionally, you can go a step further. You could invest in a more energy-efficient heater to create warmer air and save you money.
A lot goes into choosing the appropriate heater for your home. You have to consider the size of your space, your immediate weather, the amount of natural light available, and of course, your budget.
Focus on reducing draught
The draught in winter has increased electricity bills by up to 20 percent. Even if you have a lower than average budget, you can implement the following housewarming tips to reduce draught.
- You can keep warmth in by placing heavy-lined curtains that extend below your window.
- When you feel a draught, apply a ‘door snake’ at the bottom of internal doors.
- Use expandable foam to fill up gaps around appliances, behind cupboards, and under your kitchen sink.
- Use fireplace dampers to block airflow in old fireplaces. If you have unused fireplaces, you may even install ‘chimney balloons’ inside the chimneys.
- Plug holes with specialised tape or insulating foam.
- If you have cracks in your windows, fill them up.
Make Your House Warm And Cosy
As you already know, staying in a cold house can be unbearable. You definitely do not want to experience those shivers when at home. Your house should be as comfortable as possible for your homestays. Therefore, always consider proper heating during those wintry days. Getting a good heater is recommended to make your home cold-proof. Keep warm!
