What do you keep the thermostat at inside the house in the winter?

[scott_vt]

Good Evening,
The house right now is 68.9 in the kitchen, 20 outside. This is the Ct home, in the Vt house we use propane and have a wood stove in the family room, its very difficult to keep that room below 75 no matter how cold it gets ! I insulated the heck out of that addition when I built it, and it heats up really quick.

CADplans has it right, that humidity level really makes a difference on the feel !

 

[oosik]

Interesting - heat pumps....... if its too cold for them up in the NE and too hot down south -- where do they work.

Humidity plays a big part in how comfortable it is in my house. Its 68F inside but it feels a little nippy because the humidity is only 23%. I've tried increasing the humidity but its a PITA. To get the humidity up to 30-35% I get sweating on the windows. I've just learned to put on a sweat shirt and remember I live in a semi-arid area.

 

[newbury]

Interesting - heat pumps....... if its too cold for them up in the NE and too hot down south -- where do they work.
<snip>.

It's not too hot down south for heat pumps.

 

[TractorGuy]

I keep my house at 72-73 year round.

 

[LD1]

I would think say it's too cold for the up north. Just have to factor everything in

Modern heatpump are still effective down to 10 F and below. Where they still will make more BTUs of heat per watt of power consumed than resistance heat. Meaning they are still more efficient than than baseboards or electric furnaces.

The issue is below that, you still need something else for backup.

With propane and gas being cheap, if your north, you may choose to not get a heatpump. But on those milder days when it's 30-40 outside....Heatpump is about as efficient as it gets.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Free wood is about as efficient as it gets.

 

[reb]

The humidity is a major factor.

If the humidity is high, at 72 degrees you will be wearing a bathing suit.
If the humidity is low,, at 72 degrees, you will be wearing a sweatshirt,,,

Time to go boil a pot of water!! :thumbsup:

I have suspected humidity. My primary humidity detector is a door that sticks when the humidity is high. I should try something more scientific. The other possibility I have considered is a psychosomatic cause...

 

[jk96]

I have suspected humidity. My primary humidity detector is a door that sticks when the humidity is high. I should try something more scientific. The other possibility I have considered is a psychosomatic cause...

I also have one of those doors that only shuts easily 3 months out of the year. We keep the house humidity at about 38-40% in the winter. If temps get into the low teens to single digits we have to lower it a bit to prevent condensation on the windows. Make a huge difference in how warm the air feels.

 

[polkwrangler]

we use the masonry fireplace as much as we can right now 70 in half the house

 

[Oaktree]

We also use a woodstove as our primary heat source, with a forced hot air furnace for backup, spring/fall nights where it's not really cold enough to light the stove or just to quickly warm up the house on a cold morning. Usually the thermostat is kept all the way down, turn it up only when we need it. Only downside is that the bathroom is diagonally opposite from where the stove is, so it tends to stay cool. Doesn't really bother me, wife uses a space heater in there.

forced hot air is terrible, about the worst possible way to heat a home if comfort is concerned.

Curiously why do you say that? Certainly for our needs it's probably the best way...turn it on and within 10 min or so the house is comfortable. Try that with radiators.
First couple winters we were here we didn't have the woodstove yet and used the furnace as our sole means of heat. Downstairs stayed nice & warm, upstairs not so much.

Our house is 1830s-vintage, but is reasonably tight and insulated as old houses gp.