You never know how much to heat the house so as not to spend too much but also to benefit from a healthy environment. A very serious study has the answer.
Since the arrival of the cold season, we have all turned on the heating at home. And we have all asked ourselves the usual question every winter: what is the recommended temperature to achieve a comfortable environment without spending a fortune on electricity or boiler fuel?
To know the minimum temperature that must prevail inside a home to consider the environment healthy, it is possible to refer to the WHO guidelines on housing and health. Thus, the organization establishes that there is increasing evidence that cold temperatures in indoor spaces have negative consequences for our health, because cold air inflames the lungs and inhibits circulation. Conversely, if we heat too much, whether during the day or at night, the air will be drier and increase discomfort inside the house.
What temperature is considered too cold and too hot for indoor homes in healthy, adult people? The WHO establishes that for countries with a temperate climate or moderate cold, the barrier is set at 18°C ??to have a safe and balanced environment: “There is no demonstrable risk to the health of sedentary people in good health. health whose accommodation has an air temperature between 18 and 24°C”. The Organization also states that for the most vulnerable groups of residents, including the elderly, children and people with chronic illnesses, a minimum indoor temperature above 18°C ??may be necessary. How many degrees warmer? They don’t specify it clearly, but there are other studies that recommend that the house temperature for babies and vulnerable people should be between 22-24°C during the day and 18-20°C at night.
In addition to all this, the temperature at which we heat has a direct influence on energy consumption and therefore expenses at the end of the month. Indeed, standard energy cost calculations indicate that each degree above the optimal value represents between 5% and 10% increase in energy consumption. So, if you heat to 19 instead of 18, your consumption increases by 5 to 10%. If you heat to 20 instead of 18, the increase will be 10 to 20%. And so on.
Of course, the ideal temperature inside the house depends on multiple factors, such as who lives there, whether we are very cold or sensitive to heat, the age and health of the inhabitants, the region where we live, the ambient humidity or the time we will spend indoors.
