So at work today, the discussion of household heating and gas/electricity bills came up (entering winter Down Under), and I commented that we have our central heating set to 14 Celsius (approx 57 Freedoms) overnight, and off during the day/evening. We find that 14 is quite comfortable under a fluffy doona/duvet. I was warmly mocked (well natured), and informed that something closer to 24C (75F) is appropriate, day and night.

Surely not… right?

  • Pyrrhocore@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    I set temp to 18C when at home during the day, and 16/17C when away or night.
    Bad insulation (empty air…), so if I lower too much it take hours to heat up again.

    • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Ahh yes, we also suffer from a lack of insulation. Empty ceiling and walls. The 50s was a pretty relaxed era for Australian housing.

      • Pyrrhocore@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        It’s a house from the early 70s in France.
        There was almost no insulation. First rules to improve that started around 1974.

        How does it work in Australia? Does gouv try to help people to improve that in old houses?
        I guess it would be great for summer as I think it’s pretty warm there.

        • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          I don’t believe the government has any running initiatives to improve energy ratings on old houses, but there are certainly standards for new builds like you would have today. Generally speaking, because the summer sun disproportionately heats up our metal roof (and our ceiling cavity is not insulated), it will get to around 2-3 degrees hotter inside than it is outside, if no climate control is used.

          The advantage on a sunny winter day, is that it can be 10 degrees outside, and 17 inside if we’re lucky :) (but of course that heat vanishes the moment the sun goes behind the trees.)

          • Pyrrhocore@lemmy.one
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Hotter inside than outside must be a nightmare especially to sleep.
            I manage to keep temperature around 23/24 during summer and exceptionality 26/27 during heat wave. But I don’t have AC.

            It’s a bit more difficult on winter when the max temperature of the day is 1-2 degrees and there is no sun. Radiators need work frequently to keep 18 degrees.
            I wish we would have more sunny winter days.

              • Pyrrhocore@lemmy.one
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                1 year ago

                Traditional houses from the 70s are usually a basement and the house upstairs.
                Basement is often half or totally underground.
                Then the wall are made with cinder blocks, empty air and bricks.
                There is chimney (not sure the term in English), so you can heat with wood, but most of the time there is central heating with Gaz or Fuel to replace or in complement.

                How is it in your country ?

                • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  0
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  How interesting - the bricks and blocks would act as quite a good heat mass to sort of, smooth out the temperature? (And chimney is the word we use also 😆)

                  Our cottage is built up on hardwood stumps, with a hard oak frame, and asbestos sheet cladding, both inside and out. The roof is almost flat, just a 2 degree incline, with corrugated iron sheets from end to end. Cheap and hollow 😀 hahaha

  • shoe@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    57°F is pretty darn cold 🥶 how cold does it get at night there??

    We do 66°F in Winter, 77°F in Summer. This is in Northern US, I’d say most days our temps range from ~-10°F to ~+95°F.

    • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Hahaha not sure where you are exactly, but my memory of Houston and Corpus Christi involves using my arms to swim through the air - the heat and humidity was suffocating; the air was so thick! Sunglasses fogging up instantly when you step outside from an air-conditioned room.

      We regularly see 110F here Down Under in our south, but it’s a dry heat. You can at least spend the day outside getting stuff done.

      • bloodsangre7@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Your memory is very good. We are 100+ this week with that humidity, it is brutal outside. I’ll take the dry heat/cold any day, Australia/NZ is on my travel list!

        • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Ouch, you can keep that! Hit me up if you’re ever near Melbourne; we’ll take you for a walk through Sherbrooke Forest; if you’re here at this time of year, you enjoy cold mornings, and you’re very lucky - you may even get to hear a lyrebird song - imitating every other native bird in the forest! 😀

  • TechyDad@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    We have our thermostat set to 63°F in the winter. We’ll go up to 67°F or so if there’s a storm bad enough that power loss is possible.

    In the summer, we have our air conditioners set to 70°F.

    • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Interesting idea, banking some heat ahead of a storm. We regularly lose power here, but not for any significant length of time (minutes, not hours or days)

  • Edo78@feddit.it
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    I keep 18.5°C during the day in the floor I work (fully remote so I’m sitting at the desk all day long) and off at night

    • passthepotato@aussie.zoneOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      That sounds like a good productive temperature 😀 I must admit, I run a little foot heater during the mornings at work (office, onsite) to defrost my extremities!