What temperature should my home be this summer?
Us Brits love a weather-related moan. Too cold and we're grumpy, determined not to put the heating on too early. Too hot and we're grumbling about the lack of air conditioning in UK houses.
So, with summer approaching and a half term heatwave underway, we've dug into what the ideal, and expert-approved, temperature in our home should be.
What temperature should my home be?
Whacking the heating right down, using it less or not at all seems like the best bet in summer. And generally speaking, there is no need to heat your home during daylight hours of warmer months, British Gas advises.
But it's also worth being aware of the ideal temperature to accommodate those more at risk, like newborn babies, or older people. Whether it's summer or winter, generally speaking your home should be between 18°C and 21°C.
Meanwhile, your baby's room room should be kept between 16-20⁰C, to prevent them from getting too hot (or cold) and keep them safe, according to The Lullaby Trust. Light bedding or a lightweight, well fitting baby sleep bag is also important for them to be able to sleep comfortably.
As an average benchmark to aim for, as per the World Health Organization, 18⁰C is ideal for healthy and well-dressed people, while 20⁰C is ideal for the old, young or unwell - give or take depending on the needs of the individual.
According to Ovo Energy, while it varies for different people, here's a basic run through of indoor room temperatures and which ones are and aren't considered safe.
24°C – very warm, could be unsafe for heart conditions
18-21°C – comfortable temperature
18°C – minimum for being comfortable
12-16°C – fairly cold, could be unsafe for respiratory conditions
12°C – cold, could be unsafe for heart conditions
9°C – very cold, could be a risk for hypothermia
Monitoring and adjusting temperature in summer
First of all, it's important to be aware of what the temperature actually is in your home, to know when it needs tweaking to a safe level.
Luckily, to save on the faff of thermometers, you can buy smart devices to monitor this for you and display on a screen. This will help ensure you don't waste electricity using fans when your home is already cool enough, or get tempted to flick the heating on when you really don't need to. And if levels do drop too low or high, some can alert you of this, either through a smartphone app or an alarm system.
But while you might want to turn the thermostat up a couple notches (to around 18°C) to help with any plummeting temperatures during night time, in summer, the real issue day-to-day is being able to bring the temperature down when you need to.
For advice on how to navigate cooling your home without air conditioning or at a cost to you or the planet, see our useful guide on whether to keep your windows and curtains open or closed in hot weather, and how to know if it's warmer outside or in.
