Many customers have asked us what temperature is ideal for indoor spaces.

We wish we had a number for you! But the truth is, it depends on a number of factors. Let’s take a closer look:

Your natural comfort level

Everyone tolerates heat and coolness differently. If a room is 68 degrees F, one person will be comfortable walking around in a T-shirt while another is throwing on a sweater.

Your body will also react to temperature differently from day to day. This is particularly true when humidity levels fluctuate. Set the thermostat where you feel comfortable.

Your thermostat can only tell you so much

That said, your thermostat can only read the temperature in its immediate vicinity. If it feels cooler in a room on the other side of the house than what your thermostat reading indicates, it probably is.

Different thermostats also sense the air temperature differently. If you get a new system put in, you may find that you’re more comfortable with the thermostat set at 67 in the winter, while you always had to keep it at 69 or 70 on your old system. In other words, don’t get too hung up on what the thermostat says. Set the thermostat where you’re comfortable.

Your desire to balance comfort with energy

Of course, constantly turning up the heat or turning down the air conditioner can lead to greater energy costs, as anyone with kids or office mates can tell you. We all have to balance comfort with reasonable energy consumption.

We recommend experimenting to see how low you can turn the heat and how high you can keep the air conditioning settings and still be comfortable. Then you can set your own base temperatures. To save money, you can also program your thermostat to be lower at night, for instance.

The physical structure of your home or office

Every building is different. An office building with a lot of glass is going to be much trickier to heat than one with standard-size windows. An older home with less insulation won’t hold warmed or cooled air as efficiently.

If you find that you’re constantly tweaking the thermostat, try remediating other factors before upgrading your heating or cooling system. Extra insulation in the attic or replacing key windows might make a big difference.