AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING

While members of your household may disagree about whether to put on a sweater or crank up the thermostat this winter, it turns out there are ideal temperatures when you’re engaged in certain activities, such as sleeping and exercising. What’s more, there are minimum temperatures to stay above even when you’re away from your home to prevent costly plumbing repairs from frozen pipes.

Hoffner Heating and Air Conditioning, an HVAC company with over 35 years of experience, highly recommends that homeowners hire an HVAC professional to install a programmable thermostat to control different rooms in your home for maximum comfort and cost savings. In this blog post, the experts at Hoffner outline the best temperatures for a variety of purposes.

Best Temperature for All-Around Comfort

Although your preferred temperature may depend on your age and activity level, people are generally the most comfortable at 70 degrees, according to an article written by physiology professor Jeffery W. Walker for Scientific American magazine. The human body generates a lot of heat, and when we’re in a warmer than comfortable environment, we can’t disperse our heat as effectively.

Best Temperature for Working in an Office

While some who remain seated at a desk for most of the day may prefer a slightly warmer working environment, studies provide a range of roughly 70 to 77 degrees as the ideal range for an office setting. However, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory sought to find an exact temperature for maximum productivity, and they determined 71 degrees is the optimum temperature for an office setting.

Most Favorable Temperature for Sleeping

While your first inclination may be to crank up the heat on a cold winter’s night, an overly-warm bedroom may actually prevent you from drifting off. Our body temperature naturally falls at night, and a cooler bedroom (although not too cold!) supports deep, restorative sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the ideal temperature for sleeping is about 65 degrees, although each person’s comfort level may differ slightly depending on their age and metabolism.

Best Temperature for Exercising

The International Fitness Association says the ideal range for cardio exercises and weight training is from 65 to 68 degrees. Yoga practitioners may be more comfortable with a room that’s a bit warmer, the association says, with a maximum of 80 degrees.

Best Temperature for Growing Indoor Plants

For those of you with a green thumb, you’ll be glad to know that indoor plants generally thrive in the same temperature range as humans do. According to plant gurus Backyard Boss, most indoor plants do well with temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees during the day and 55 to 65 degrees at night. Backyard Boss says most tropical plants can survive temperatures as low as 50 degrees. But be warned: they won’t grow as well as they would in a warmer environment.

Ideal Temperature for a Wine Cellar

According to Wine Spectator, heat is wine’s biggest adversary. If it gets warmer than 70 degrees, it will age more quickly and possibly begin to taste flat. If you’re not drinking it right away, the wine aficionados said, wine should be stored between 45 and 65 degrees, with 55 degrees being the ideal temperature. Wine can be kept cold in the refrigerator for two months. If it is stored that cold for longer than that the corks can dry out, which could allow air into the bottles and impair the wine’s flavor.

Best Temperature for Storing Canned Goods

If you like to stock up on canned foods, you may be wondering what the ideal temperature is to store them in a pantry or on a basement shelf. The University of Minnesota Extension says to store cans in a cool, dry place, ideally between 50-70 degrees. If canned goods are kept at a temperature above 75 for an extended period, the extension says, the food inside begins to lose its nutrients.

Best Temperature While You’re Away

If you’re leaving your home during the winter for an extended period of time, you may be tempted to crank the thermostat as low as possible to save on heating bills. Unfortunately, if your pipes freeze and then burst while you’re away, any energy savings will be far outweighed by what you’ll pay a plumber to make repairs. Consumer Reports says to lower your thermostat to no less than 55 degrees in cold weather while you’re away. In addition, you may want to open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors, so warmer air circulates around your pipes and keeps them from freezing.

Our Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems Keep Your Bills Low and Your Home Comfortable

Different rooms in your home may call for varying levels of heating and cooling. If you’d like to learn more about how a programmable thermostat can help you achieve precise temperature control in individual areas of your house, speak to one of our highly qualified staff members today.

Whether your current HVAC system needs yearly maintenance or you’d like to learn more about a new unit, Hoffner Heating and Air Conditioning is here to help you with all your heating and cooling needs. We install, repair, and maintain both residential and commercial HVAC systems in the greater Pittsburgh area and Southwest Pennsylvania. We provide full system installation, ductwork, and maintenance to keep you comfortable no matter how cold it gets outside. Visit our contact page or call us at 412-376-9080.

NOVEMBER 5, 2020/BY MATTHEW FLOWERS