Kentucky Man Has the Perfect Thermostat Setting for Winter and Advice If You Don’t Like It

It’s that time of year when battle lines are drawn in households across Kentucky. At stake? Control of the thermostat. That war constantly rages at my house. In the winter, I like the thermostat set at about 65 or so. My husband gets cold and he wants the heat set at a minimum of 70 degrees. While I don’t mind a toasty 70, I feel like there are other ways to stay warm in the house. We’ve got sweatshirts, socks, a faux fireplace, three dogs that like to cuddle and dozens of throws and blankets, some of which are lined with fleece. For the sake of argument, here's Exhibit A- our dog Yogi, who has clearly learned how to stay comfy and warm.

The way I look at it is this. We can keep that thermostat on 65 and save some money. You can make up that five degrees with a hoodie, some pajama pants and snuggles with a dog or two.

Brian Beck of Louisville has firmly planted his flag on that hill too. As Brian explains quite simply- "My house. Live by it!"

He says, “I show it (the thermostat) to my friends that come over. I tell them if you’re skinny, bring a sweater.” He won’t even let his mom adjust the settings when she comes to visit. He says, “She’s not allowed to touch it when she comes up.” Brian’s winter setting? As you can see in the photo above, it's 65 degrees. He adds, “If you’re cold, get dressed! Take some of heat from your anger about the temperature and warm up!”

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 68 to 70 degrees while you’re awake. If you’re asleep or going to be away from home, they recommend setting it even lower.

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Our master bedroom is upstairs and there’s no doubt that heat rises. At night, we set our thermostat upstairs at just 65 degrees. That’s the ONLY time I win that battle with Kevin. And look! It’s because of all the things I mentioned before. We have ways to keep warm at 65. We have flannel sheets, the three aforementioned dogs that live for cuddling and a big, heavy and warm comforter!

The experts at HVAC.com suggest trying to see how low you can go. They say if you’re going to be away from home or asleep, you could lower your thermostat all the way down to 60. They claim that, according to Energy Star, you could lower your heating costs by ten percent annually if you lower your thermostat seven to ten degrees for eight hours a day. Obviously, if you’re gonna be spending eight hours in your warm bed, that’s the perfect time to do it.