# Turn the heat up, or put on a sweater? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004 "2017-12-21T16:28:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/101 "2017-12-27T12:28:34Z")
My gf pays the gas bill, so she sets the thermostat. It is at 68 right now, 5 degrees higher than I’d set it if it were up to me. At my previous home, I did a “whatever doesn’t kill you” thing one winter. I set the thermostat at 55 to see if I could take it. I slept in a mummy bag and dressed warmly. Ate my dinner wearing a coat. My gas bill was low, but conditions were pretty miserable. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/102 "2017-12-27T13:50:59Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I usually wear shorts and teeshirts/tank tops in the summer, but I really can’t stand the heat. It gets too hot and muggy around here, so I generally stay in air conditioned places whenever possible. The only summer activity I like is swimming. If I could live in a cold temperature year round, I would. Summer sucks I’m sure this is where the difference lies. I love summer. I wish it was 90 degrees everyday all year. It’s never too hot outside for me 🙂 > [@](#): > > (Surely I can’t be the only one who likes to be coccooned in blankets at night?) You only like to do this because it is freezing inside your house 😉 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/103 "2017-12-27T14:03:05Z")
My preferred clothing when I’m home is a t-shirt and long pants. If I’m exercising indoors I like shorts, and if I’m commuting to work and need to stand on a cold train platform I like long sleeves. That’s a problem, because then when I get to the office it’s often to damn warm. I have my sleeves rolled up right now, and much of the time at the office. > [@Slash1972](#): > > What temperature do you keep it at in the summer? Is it less than 77F? My sense of comfort changes with the seasons. If it gets to be 45 in a summer storm, I perceive that as very cold. If it gets to 45 in the winter, it feels balmy, and I’m happy to fetch the newspaper and do other short outdoor tasks in just my pants and t-shirt. > [@Slash1972](#): > > … > And for people who think 76 or 77 degrees is some type of sauna or something, what do you do in the summer? Just never go outside? 🙂 > . Well, truth be told, I hate hot temperatures. But once I’m acclimatized to summer I do okay up to about 80. I keep my house at 65-68 during the day in the winter, and drop that down to 60 at night. I prefer to sleep in a cold room with warm covers. As a child, I used to open my bedroom window a crack in the winter. Now that I control the thermostat, I just lower it. In the summer I cool down to 72-80, depending on the time of day and how much I want to balance comfort with climate responsibility. I have a programmable thermostat, and it’s set to be coldest when I’m trying to get to sleep, and when I need to get dressed for the morning, which are the times I care most. It’s warmest in the middle of work days when I’m not home, because my husband doesn’t mind the heat. If I work from home, I’ll usually go crank the temp down to 75. I grew up without air conditioning. I had trouble sleeping all summer. My mother used to tell me to take a cold shower, but I never stayed cold long enough to sleep comfortably. My mother still likes much warmer temperatures than I do. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/104 "2017-12-27T16:40:51Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > 77 in the winter would be fine, but I feel like I’d be constantly changing my clothes. “Just got back from the store, better strip down so I can sit and watch TV, then put clothes back later on so I can go back outside and pick the kids up.” This. I don’t want to constantly changing. (Programmable) heater is set at 64° or 68° depending upon time of day. If I get cold, I put on a sweatshirt. This place has temperature differences based upon room & floor so I’d need to put on more clothes if I was in just shorts & t-shirt just to run down to the basement to get something. AC is set to 76° & 82°, though it’s usually off unless it’s really warm out; I’ll keep the windows open until upper 80°s. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/105 "2017-12-27T17:32:13Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m sure this is where the difference lies. I love summer. I wish it was 90 degrees everyday all year. It’s never too hot outside for me 🙂 > > You only like to do this because it is freezing inside your house 😉 I could say that you only like to strip down to shorts and a tee because it’s sweltering in your house. My house isn’t “freezing”, it’s usually around 68-70 degrees. I just prefer to keep warm via blankets and sweaters rather than turning up the heat. Besides, it’s healthier that way. I remember sleeping over a friend’s house and her mother turned it up to 80 one night! I woke up with a major sore throat and my nose was dry as a bone. Plus don’t germs breed more in a hotter environment? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/106 "2017-12-27T17:35:44Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > You only like to do this because it is freezing inside your house 😉 My parents had twin beds, like his parents. Dad would go to sleep with at least one blanket so long as external temperatures were below body temp; Mom’s always run hotter. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/107 "2017-12-27T17:39:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I could say that you only like to strip down to shorts and a tee because it’s sweltering in your house Shorts and a tee are my default. I match the temperature in the house to those clothes. Not the other way around. > [@](#): > > My house isn’t “freezing”, it’s usually around 68-70 degrees So, freezing is what you are saying 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/108 "2017-12-27T18:51:01Z")
I love the programmable thermostat. House stays between 70-75 year round. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004/109 "2017-12-28T00:44:07Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > My sense of comfort changes with the seasons. If it gets to be 45 in a summer storm, I perceive that as very cold. If it gets to 45 in the winter, it feels balmy, and I’m happy to fetch the newspaper and do other short outdoor tasks in just my pants and t-shirt. Exactly. For me, my perfect climate is somewhere in the 50-60F range. I do NOT like hot weather. Before I had a wife and kids, we (my brother and I) would generally keep the house around 60F in the winter. During the summer, somewhere around 75. When it’s 90F and humid as hell out there, a dehumidified 75F is positively chilly. Plus it’d be insanely expensive and wasteful (and probably impossible in my house) to drop the temp much lower than 70F during the summer. During the winter, when it’s 20F outside, 60F in the house is cool, but very comfortable. My preferred lounging around wear is a long-sleeved sweatshirt and sweatpants. Nothing is more homey and comfortable to me than snuggling under a thick blanket. With the wife and kids, we keep it a little less extreme. About 73F in the winter, and 77F in the summer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-heat-up-or-put-on-a-sweater/805004.md?page=5)