[eastbay]

Right now it's 60 degrees inside. Two t-shirts and socks. Nice.
The thermostat is set to 62, but the heater is off most of the time. At wake up it's generally 55 to 58 inside so we ignite some natural gas and then when it hits 62 we generally shut it off for the rest of the day. Once in awhile we give it a quick blast in the afternoon too. When it drops below 60 we can put on the hoodies if we want to.
In the summer the temperature inside is whatever nature tosses our way because we don't use the AC.

[gwmss15]

My thermostats are normally set on 23C (73 F) which makes the real room temp about 25C (77 F) This is the setting for the entire year except for a few short cooler 24C (75F) weeks in December where i shut it off all together.
But it still uses too much power to run. Sometimes i just use a fan and put up with it being hot in the room.
once the temp in the room goes above 27C (80F) i find it a bit stuffy and it needs a fan. but if its below 22C (71 F) its too cold. But this a good range when compared to the outside temp of 25 to 32C (77 to 90F) at night and 32C to 42C (90 to 108F) in the day with 90% humidity.

[wxman]

I currently live in an apartment where we have steam radiators. I never turn the blowers on and pretty much have the windows open 24/7.
Previously, I was in a townhouse where the automatic thermostat was set at 62 overnight and during the workday, and 68 otherwise.

[jedinvest]

Here in N. Cal. in a old, but remodeled, house which still has a few uninsulated walls and one huge uninsulated living-room ceiling, we keep the temperature between 60-64 during the day when we are at home and let the temperature go down to 50 at night -- as we wake up if either the heater turns on or we get a brief 'heat-wave' during the night from the wind changing direction and blowing from inland out to sea -- hint, wool blankets and down conforters are great to have.

Yes, we wear sweaters indoors and I wear a cap as well as I don't like my head getting cold. In fact, I have a cold that I can't shake right now. Boy, I wish we had a hot tub, as I think that is the best way of keeping healthy even when it gets cold outside.

[efarmer]

Well I guess I will probably have to end up moving there soon.
The Mrs. has always said that Arnold makes her hot and now here
it is in black and white. As soon as she finds out he can make her
cold as well, I can maybe move back to my beloved Missouri.

Yah, he ist da Tempinatah!

[Pops]

I only read a few post but will say,

First, the voluntary program has been in place for years with a discount on power bills.
Second, the option is rolling blackouts.
Third, -nevermind-


Ready to plug in your cool new Volt?

[HamRadioRocks]

I installed a programmable thermostat this past fall. For the setback periods, I set it to 55 degrees, as I don't need a comfortable temperature when I'm sleeping at (under the covers and not awake to feel the chilly air) or when I'm at away at work. Of course, the temperature doesn't actually drop all the way down to 55 degrees at night because of residual heat left over from the evening. During the day, the temperature usually goes up a few degrees. However, the programmable thermostat does save energy on days that are cloudy, windy, and cold, the combination needed for the indoor temperature to go down during the day.

For the morning and the evening, my thermostat setting at the beginning of the heating season (September and early October) to 67 degrees. At that time of the year, I'm wimpy at handling the cold, so I need a warmer temperature. I have gradually lower the thermostat through the fall and winter. Since I'm better adapted to the cold and am now wearing heavier attire (sweater, long johns, wool socks), I can handle a lower temperature. The morning/evening thermostat settings are now at 60 degrees, and I'll continue to lower this setting into the upper 50s throughout the rest of the winter. 60 degrees now doesn't feel any colder than 67 degrees did 3-4 months ago. In the spring, I'll be raising the morning and evening thermostat settings, as I'll have less capacity for handling cold and be wearing less clothing.

This past summer, I installed a plug-in timer for the window air conditioner, and I only ran the unit for a few hours in the late afternoon or early evening. I used to adjust the thermostat setting to maintain a temperature of 79 degrees but bumped it up to 81 degrees this past summer. The combination of the timer and the higher thermostat setting cut my summer electricity usage by 40%-50%. Although a one-degree difference is felt more acutely in summer than in winter, it doesn't take much of an increase in the thermostat setting to slash one's use of air conditioning.

I can't believe that some of you keep the indoor temperature well into the 70s in winter, especially given what this web site is about. My workplace is kept at 72 degrees, and I absolutely CANNOT wear a sweater at that temperature. That's warm enough for midriff-baring outfits! When I get up for work, I have to wear a short-sleeved shirt under my sweater so that I can strip down without looking sloppy. (An undershirt just isn't proper work attire.)

I'm surprised that those of you living in colder climates don't necessarily keep the thermostat cooler than those of you in warmer climates. I would think someone from the Bay area or Arizona would keep a higher thermostat setting than someone from Wisconsin. I thought that you're supposed to adapt to the winter cold (and summer heat) so that you run your furnace (and air conditioner) for fewer hours per day.

[wisconsin_cur]

I guess that I should have disclosed our own arrangements.
Thanks to the wood stove the downstairs furnace has not run yet this winter and it is turned down to about 45 degrees (yes we are in Wisconsin, and we are closer to the Lake than Illinois). On days that there is no sun we usually start a fire in the morning, let it die down and then re-invigorate it of an evening. If the sun is going to be out or if the expected high is 40 degrees or more we do not start a fire until the afternoon. Dress warm and keep busy is my motto.
The thermostat next to the wood stove rarely shows a high of about 80 degrees but that is only next to the stove and generally considered, "too hot." At night it has gotten down into the 50s'

When it is cool in the house we wear sweaters. We also close off every room but the living room and kitchen. Each family member has a down comforter to sleep under except for the baby and he has very warm jammers and an appropriate blanket (his comforter for next winter is in the mail).
the kids still refuse to wear socks no matter what the temp of the house is.
the upstairs, which just houses an office and an two extra bedrooms is kept a 40 degrees and that furnace runs plenty.

[MarkJames]

I'm surprised that those of you living in colder climates don't necessarily keep the thermostat cooler than those of you in warmer climates. I would think someone from the Bay area or Arizona would keep a higher thermostat setting than someone from Wisconsin. I thought that you're supposed to adapt to the winter cold (and summer heat) so that you run your furnace (and air conditioner) for fewer hours per day.

Sometimes it has more to do with human comfort level than temperature. For example, many people with oversized short cycling forced warm air systems with cold outside walls or old windows often crank the heat due to convective drafts and radical temperature swings. When a home has a properly designed, properly sized hydronic system, it's well insulated, has new windows, has radiant heat, or has baseboard or radiators under windows you won't have as many convective drafts or temperature swings.

Our fuel and heating customers with well insulated homes and radiant hydronic heat generally have an outstanding human comfort level, so they generally have lower thermostat setings. They also burn the least amount of fuel.
I was writing a heating system estimate for customer recently when it was 17 below zero F. While sitting at their kitchen table, my arm next to the wall and window felt ice cold although the thermostat in the home was set at 72F. It's very common to see grossly oversized short cycling heating systems here in the Northeast. We also have quite a few older large poorly insulated, poorly weatherized homes with single pane windows.

[oowolf]

No thermostat. Heat with body heat and thermosyphon-operated underground air intake tube to warm outside air. Temps: 57 to 63 usually. Only build fire when temps fall below 10 degrees F for several days ( once so far this winter-does not include fires for preparing food on cookstove in seperate kitchen)
(nice, smug feeling from having my shit SO together)

[Chesire]

75

fuck the taxpayers )

[Zythryn]

Gas furnace is set to turn on at 62.
Downstairs is in-floor heat which is set to 70. The warmer air down their works its way upstairs so the gas furnace backup is rarely needed (Minnesota).
We super insulated the house so the geothermal infloor heating is good most of the time until it gets well below 0f.

[eastbay]

California has decided to bag this plan.

They're going to use an 'honor' system instead. Like that's going to work.... heh. Like people will voluntarily use less energy... uh....ok.

[FreakOil]

California hit Peak Honor a long time ago.

[cube]

Reason 3,348,224 not to move to California.

Reason 3,348,224 to move OUT of California. I'm flirting with the idea of going to Las Vegas or Seattle this year. Granted people are people. It wouldn't surprise me if city/state governments are equally dumb and stupid everywhere but:

1) Las Vegas - huge tax revenues thanks to the casinos. City / state government is NOT stretched thin b/c they have a much smaller population to serve. Nobody ever said Las Vegas was environmentally sustainable but money can compensate for other shortfalls.

2) Seattle - there's NOT 35 million people cramped into 1 state demanding a 1st world standard of living so environmentally speaking things aren't that bad. Plus hydroelectric dams == cheap electricity.

I tend to have a preference for states with NO income tax.

[Pops]

I've seen Los Angeles.

Dang this just pushes my button - seeing LA doesn’t mean you have seen California.

You sound like the most backwoods Missouri hillbilly albeit with a Swedish accent, I have heard it for 30 years.

Sorry…

[dave_ca]

I live in a climate that sees temperatures dip down to -30 Celcius/-22 F (not often, but enough to notice) so I try to keep my temp turned down as much as possible. We have a 1300 square foot bungalow built in the last 7 years with a finished basement. We heat the entire main floor with a pellet stove, usually to about 73 in the direct area its in (open concept living room/kitchen) and 68 at the other end of the houses in the bedrooms. The basement we keep at 41, unless we are down there to watch TV (basement is TV room, spare bedroom, play room, utility room and bathroom/laundry) or the kids are playing we turn the heat up to about 65. As soon as we leave a room the heat goes right down to 41 (the lowest it will go, and I dont want frozen pipes anyways)

[drew]

House is usually 66 to 68 deg. in the winter. For summer, I don't have AC but I do use a large fan in the attic opening on really hot days/nights. This works amazingly well. Read about it here on PO.com.

Drew

[Ibelieve]

67 all the time. The heater has only come on a few nights this winter. During the day it is usually 69 to 71 naturally. Right now it is 74 in here. We are used to being hot, so 67 feels cold to us.

[Pablo2079]

66 during "awake/home times"
55 during "sleep/away times"

Just got a new Natural Gas furnace (Bryant).... high efficiency/variable speed model. Seems pretty nice.