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Heating and cooling: Ideal temperature for bedrooms

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    What is the ideal design temperature for bedrooms?
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    It depends entirely on the individuals. Plus there is no such thing as a single temperature in a room. Plus it depends on how the bed is furnished.
    • CommentAuthorringi
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016 edited
     
    Design for 22c when it is very cold outside, but also insure the system is controllable down to 13c, then it should be OK for whoever decides to live their.

    If the room is draft free with an even temperature it is likely most people would be happy with 15c for a bedroom assuming they are fit and well.
    • CommentAuthorMikC
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    In a lot of modern hotels , premier inn for example, the thermostats are set up for 19 in all the bedrooms, and this seems comfortable, but no doubt there will be wide variation between individuals. I prefer it cooler.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    Posted By: MikCIn a lot of modern hotels , premier inn for example, the thermostats are set up for 19 in all the bedrooms

    Hotel rooms are multi-purpose rooms though, so not much use for calibrating expectations in houses.
    • CommentAuthorringi
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    For some reason people that find hotels room to cold are much more likely to write bad reviews then people that find them too hot....
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    Posted By: ringiDesign for 22c when it is very cold outside, but also insure the system is controllable down to 13c, then it should be OK for whoever decides to live their.

    That depends entirely on the house. In a well-insulated house, it won't be possible to set the bedroom temperature separately, and it won't be possible to get it to go as low as 13°C in normal circumstances anyway.
    • CommentAuthorgravelld
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016
     
    18 in bedrooms. 22 is mental, you must be sweating in bed!
    • CommentAuthorringi
    • CommentTimeDec 4th 2016 edited
     
    Posted By: gravelld18 in bedrooms. 22 is mental, you must be sweating in bed!


    18 is about normal, we have it closer to 15. But people do get ill etc and some people like it warmer, hence the DESIGN should allow the temperature to be set hotter then you like it.
  10.  
    Its tricky. If you are just wanting to sleep - cooler is generally better - I like 16 - 18C. But if you are sitting reading in bed, a bit warmer is nice. Also for other activities (ahem....) where you might not have the covers on, or even any jim-jams, warm is also good.
  11.  
    Setting 2 on the TRV for me
  12.  
    My thermostat is set to 21.6C for the house - the bedroom is a tad cooler at around 21C or 20C when it's really cold outside. The heating system is "on" all the time to maintain a constant temperature throughout the year, except for a few weeks in the shoulder seasons when we're not heating nor cooling. Consistency is the key to comfort IMHO.

    Paul in Montreal.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeDec 5th 2016
     
    Posted By: Paul in MontrealMy thermostat is set to 21.6C for the house - the bedroom is a tad cooler at around 21C or 20C when it's really cold outside. The heating system is "on" all the time to maintain a constant temperature throughout the year,

    I try to keep ours at a minimum of 20°C because I'm still trying to see whether it lives up to the PHPP prediction.

    except for a few weeks in the shoulder seasons when we're not heating nor cooling.

    We don't have active cooling, so the temperature goes up in the summer.

    Consistency is the key to comfort IMHO.

    Dunno. I disagree with a lot of what Sue Roaf says but I do go along with her, and Tim Padfield in thinking that we can allow temperature to vary a lot more than 'mechanical' controls typically do, as long as other conditions are reasonable as well. It's partly a matter of expectations.
    • CommentAuthorcjard
    • CommentTimeDec 7th 2016
     
    Sometimes I come out of work in shorts n teeshirt, get in the car, look at the thermometer saying 5 degrees and think "***** me it's cold"

    Other days I come out of work in shorts n teeshirt, get in the car, look at the thermometer saying 5 degrees and think "it really doesn't feel like a fridge in here"

    I think it's down to what I've eaten for lunch..
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeDec 7th 2016
     
    CJard, are you from Newcastle, then? :shocked:

    Adaptation has a lot to do with it, too. You get used to different temperatures over a few days to a week or two. If I've been working on my site in the cold for a few hours each of the last few days then 19 °C sitting still in my office can feel positively hot whereas after a couple of days at home that feels a bit cool.

    What I wonder is if you can change your adapted temperature without being uncomfortable. E.g., in the autumn could you have the thermostat step down 0.05 °C/day and not notice it or would you actually feel a bit chilly before you started to adapt.
  16.  
    Somebody posted on here a few years back that research had shown that there is a specific indoor temperature at which you feel comfortable and if the temperature dips below that you can start to sense a chill. I can't recall the exact figure but I am pretty sure that it was 20.4 or 20.6C. I know that as a result I set the thermostat for our ground floor to 20.5C and the internal temp normally fluctuates between that and 21.5C the whole winter.

    Upstairs tends to be around 1 degree lower.

    TBH I don't know how they could arrive at such a specific figure as individual preferences seem to vary. But I certainly find the house comfortable at these temperatures.
    • CommentAuthorCerisy
    • CommentTimeDec 7th 2016
     
    As we are without central heating our temp varies overnight depending on the outside temp. When we light the wood burning stove we get up to low 20's in the kitchen / day room which is great (okay, so the posh lounge is much warmer for 'er-in-doors!). By morning the temp is usually down to around 18, which also seems acceptable as we are active doing chores or snagging! Sunny days help keep the temp up or if we are cooking of course.

    Upstairs we keep our bedroom door closed so the warmth coming upstairs doesn't make it too hot - it seems to sit around high-teens which is good for sleeping, although it increases overnight with our body heat and the 400l water tank!

    For us the key is activity - evenings need to be warmer, day time just keep doing stuff!!
    • CommentAuthordelprado
    • CommentTimeDec 7th 2016
     
    Cerisy - how well insulated are your rooms that they don't need any heating at all?
    • CommentAuthorCerisy
    • CommentTimeDec 8th 2016
     
    PassivHaus standard delprado. Although I didn't put as much in the floor as I could have - never quite sure how much it saves. We have only ever used a summer quilt since we moved in! As it is 170 sq m and there are only us two OAP's, that's not bad!
    • CommentAuthorringi
    • CommentTimeDec 8th 2016
     
    Posted By: Cerisylthough I didn't put as much in the floor as I could have - never quite sure how much it saves.


    Very much depends on if you have UFH and how thick your socks are. (A cold floor makes some people feel like they need to turn on the heating, thermal loses from a floor double if you have UFH.)
  21.  
    Ringi - how does UFH increase thermal losses?
    We're putting it in but hoping to hardly use it, and had never considered it might do any harm (except to our pockets!)
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeDec 11th 2016
     
    In a traditionally heated room the floor tends to be cooler than it is with ufh, likely 10C cooler and this has a very significant influence on heat loss. You will be more comfortable but there is a price to pay. You should be comfortable at a slightly lower room temperature, 1.5C cooler but with no loss of comfort but the overall heat losses will be greater with ufh for the same envelope.
  23.  
    Thanks, Tony. Not increasing our heat loss when we're not using it, then.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeDec 11th 2016
     
    Is UFH worse than putting radiators against outside walls under windows?
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeDec 11th 2016 edited
     
    yes, but that is the best place to put a radiator to maximise heat loss
    • CommentAuthorringi
    • CommentTimeDec 12th 2016
     
    Posted By: yclairejenkinsHow does UFH increase thermal losses


    Say you are heating the room to 20c, then without UFH it is likely the floor is not much above 15c, with UFH you need to heat the floor to about 30c. Lets assume the ground is at 10c.

    So without UFH the floor temperature is 5c above the temperature ground, with UFH the floor is 20c above the ground, if every thing else remained the same then you will get (20-5)/5 more heat lose with UFH. But the ground does provide a little insulation, so it is not that bad, hence a wild guest at a factor of 2.

    Posted By: djhIs UFH worse than putting radiators against outside walls under windows?


    Yes, as radiators don't put 100% of their heat output into the walls and people also tend to insulate walls.

    As people are often happy with a lower air temperature when using UFH, it can be the best heating option, but you should be putting in 200mm or more of insulation under the floor and also sorting out the thermal bridge between the floor and the wall. Not easy to do unless it is a new build, and if you are doing a new build,then you should be doing it to a good quality so need very little heating if any.....
    • CommentAuthorgyrogear
    • CommentTimeDec 12th 2016
     
    Good explanations, thanks !

    gg
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeDec 12th 2016
     
    +1
    • CommentAuthorTimSmall
    • CommentTimeDec 14th 2016 edited
     
    [Bah, Ed already said this, sorry missed his post]

    Also depends on the person, and what the temperature has been recently (indoors and outdoors for that person).

    This is usually talked about more in the context of overheating, but is also applicable to minimum acceptable setpoint (I think there is a slower adaptation time to cold conditions tho).

    http://www.inklingllp.com/2014/06/30/what-is-adaptive-thermal-comfort/

    You'll be familiar with this (or at least I certainly am) in that 7 Celsius feels bloody cold in October, but reasonably comfortable in Feb.

    It'd be nice to have a thermostat which knows about this stuff, and doesn't try and achieve a temperature of 18 C in October (leading to the occupants putting the set point up, and leaving it there all winter).

    One for the wish-list.

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