You need to consider that some walls may contain water pipes. Not having those warmed up sufficiently could lead to a bursted pipe, which could lead to significant damage.
Also keep in mind that keeping your house below 15C can cause damp issues.
MMMMM Mold.
Whats the min temp to be responsible but also keep the central heat waste to a minimum?
Cautionary tale:
For us it was trial and error. We thought we were doing pretty well by keeping track of the weather and balancing the whole house heating vs single room. Until we had a snap freeze that plummeted the temps overnight to an obscene degree. We were comfortably warm in our bedroom as all the pipes in the kitchen and bathroom were bursting.
10’s of thousands of dollars in demolition and reconstruction later we have decided that in this instance it’s better to waste some small amount of energy keeping the whole house heated rather than risking another catastrophic failure.
Your mileage may vary.
Fwiw, most modern thermostats have an emergency failsafe temp setting that will always turn the heater on when reached, even if inadvertently set lower by mistake. Saved my bacon in a rental once.
This was a solid case of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” the thermostat and heating system in question was from the 60’s or 70’s and had served us with no issues for as long as we had been there. Hindsight 20/20 and all that jazz.
Fwiw there is low power heat tape you can buy to run along pipes to keep then from freezing. Had this on a pipe that ran through an attic and would freeze when the outside temp got extreme, despite heating the house.
55F / 13C
Generally, 55-60 Fahrenheit (13-16 C) should be safe. If you have mild winters and a house layout that isn’t too spread out, you may be able to set it as low as 45 F (7 C).
That depends on the plumbing and how cold for how long it is in the area. Also, going too cold isn’t good on the house, either. Drywall and wood don’t like all the temp swings, either.
Winter can be quite harsh where I live, and 16°C is the recommended minimum temperature.
You may not use the space, but you likely have water lines that can’t handle freezing temps, and other electronics/appliances that assume living space (non condensing humidity being important)
Now, setting your thermostat lower and only heating the room you’re in? Maybe. Whole house systems are damn efficient, so if you’re moving around the house with the heater, that’s a no go, but if you hang out in one closed door room, it’s an experiment you might want to try.
Expect the bathroom to be colder than you’d like if you’ve spent the day in your bedroom/office.
I actually think its really good for sleep too for it to be a bit hibernation-level chilly in an ambient sense.
My muscles clench up when I try that, which makes my back problems worse.
Is there a treatment [dont mean medicine] or discussion on this topic you would recommend, thats interesting. Something, something, muscle spindle fibres?
Depends on the efficiency of the heater but, as long as the space is enclosed, almost certainly yes.
Keep in mind that your interior walls aren’t insulated, so you’ll lose some of your heat to other rooms, probably causing higher-than-expected usage. Along with the bursted pipes, which have already been mentioned, I’d be also concerned about interior temperature gradients and condensation, and resultant mold and mildew issues.
Just to add something: water pipes freezing can be made less likely by leaving the water flowing slowly out of a faucet. Moving water does not freeze as easily. While I wouldn’t use this as any kind of regular protection, it can help buy you that extra peace of mind when you’re probably fine, but still slightly worried about a particular cold snap.
Interesting if not super applicable/practicable (I hate waste, love dripping sound tho lol. Very conflicted)
It took me a looooooooong time to realize that trying to minimize waste in “clever” ways (i.e. “why do people do X, it’s so wastefull!”) actually ended up being more wastefull in the long run because by doing so I was impacting other things I didn’t understand.
My suggestion: don’t try to be clever, or original. Do some serious research and talk to people before embarking on these journeys.
Housing for example is built making a ton of expectations, such as the expectation that the space will be heated. When it is not, you risk problems, starting with freezing pipes, sure, but also expansion/contraction and humidity issues (too much, too little), which can lead to all kinds of problems, including mold growth, cracks in walls, buckling floors, shifting structure, and many other things I don’t understand.
You should talk with an HVAC expert before experimenting on your house.
In older stick frame homes, it’s not just practical but essential. They were built to breathe, unlike modern designs. That means that even if you’re keeping the entire house warm you could still experience burst pipes.
Keep all rooms safely above freezing, +10 Celsius/ +50F and only heat one room warmer. Calculate the power/fuel you would use then and compare to full central heating (it can be different for every location). Generally speaking in many countries running something that heats or cooles rooms with electricity 24/7 will make your power bill skyrocket. Damage to property caused by the cold like burst pipes and other stuff can certainly cost you any savings made and more.
