What’s the average ideal room temperature in the UK?

Getting your room to the right temperature is important to most people. Not only to ensure comfort, but there’s no point wasting energy by keeping your room temperature higher than it needs to be. And if you have a smart thermometer, then you’re going to have complete control of that.

And this is going to be especially important throughout the winter, when temperatures can drop below freezing and we become almost scared to leave the house. So throughout winter and the rest of the year, what room temperature is ideal?

Room temperature UK

For most people, the ideal room temperature is going to be somewhere between 18° and 21°. However, some people may like it to be a little warmer or colder than this, and it really depends on your own personal preference.

You may not think that the room temperature of your home matters too much. However, when you go above 24° then there’s actually an increased risk of illnesses, like a heart attack. And at the other end of things, when the temperature becomes too cold then you’re putting yourself at a risk of getting hypothermia.

This is why having the room temperature at the right settings is going to be beneficial to you in the long run. Plus, if you’re using a slightly more expensive green energy supplier, then you’ll want to limit the amount of energy you’re using.

Thank you for reading this post 🙌 - don't forget to take advantage of our New Free Tools: Electricity Cost Calculator and Energy Bill Calculator 👇

Energy Bill Calculator

energy bill calculator

Our Energy Bill Calculator is designed to help you estimate your electricity costs in the…

How can I get my room temperature to the right level?

Many people wonder just how they can get their room temperature to an ideal temperature. The best way to do this is always going to be by using a smart thermostat. This will give you complete control over the heating in your home, and will enable you to set it to the right temperature.

room-temperature
With smart thermostat apps, we can set the room to our preferred temp.

Although if you don’t have a smart thermostat, then there are some things you can do to try and get your temperature to the right level. If the weather is freezing cold, then you’re going to want to try and take advantage of any insulation methods you can. This means keeping your curtains closed and getting some draft excluders, as these are the main areas where cold air is going to try and creep into your home.

If your house is getting too warm, then there are a few tricks you can try too. This also includes keeping your curtains closed, even through the daytime, as well as keeping your windows open and get yourself a fan, as well as some houseplants.

How many hours a day should your central heating be on?

If you are getting really chilly in your house and you want to keep the central heating on, then it can be tempting to leave it on all day and all night. However, this isn’t a good idea, not only for your appliances but for your energy bills too. 21 degrees celsius is around the maximum that most people want to go to before they start to feel uncomfortable.

Ideally you’re going to want to limit your central heating being on to only 8-10 hours per day. This doesn’t have to be in one consistent stretch though, as it could just as well be in 2 or 3 different spurts.

Conclusion

All in all, the perfect room temperature is actually a preference that changes from person to person. This can vary a lot depending where you’re living, as humans are just like any other mammal, and it can take us a few weeks to acclimatise to our new surroundings if we’ve just moved from a cold country to a hot one (or vice versa).

But yes, most humans find that their ideal temperature is somewhere around the 19-20c mark, which is what most health organizations (like the WHO) recommend us to set our temperature to.

Photo of author

Jack Williams

Jack is the founder of Energy Sanity. He has been analyzing the energy industry for over a decade now. His data-driven analysis have helped thousands save money on electricity bills. Jack holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Energy Economics.