Tell me why???

it all in the mind...........for us 65-69 is very comfortable all winter, but 75-80 in the summer is nice........

It's what you're used to. If I let my house get up to 72 in the winter I'm sweating in shorts and a t-shirt, but when I put it down to 73 in the summer at night I need a blanket.

And when the outside temps hit 50 this fall I'll be in a winter jacket and a wool hat, but when they hit 50 in the spring I'm wearing a flannel shirt!

For me it's the opposite. 60 F feels even more cold in the summer when I am wearing T-shirt and shorts than in the winter with sweater and long pants. This overuse of AC here borders on the insane. When I am entering my office in the morning, first thing I do is donning a jacket because it its so cold. One time the temp in my office was 62 F in the middle of summer and I was more busy shivering than typing. Several of my colleagues have little space heaters in their offices to use during the SUMMER! We had a good laugh a few years back when our higher ups announced that they will only heat to 68 F in the winter to save on energy cost. We wish it would be that warm in the summer.

In the winter we keep our home at 68 F to maybe 72 F while in the summer we run a few fans and use no AC. About one week per summer we sleep in the family room downstairs because upstairs it is uncomfortably hot and humid. Of course, we also dress appropriately for the weather.

I've been doing stuff in the basement this summer, and I have to say, it does feel pleasant. You don't break out into a sweat with just a little exertion.

Grisu said:

One time the temp in my office was 62 F in the middle of summer and I was more busy shivering than typing. Several of my colleagues have little space heaters in their offices to use during the SUMMER! We had a good laugh a few years back when our higher ups announced that they will only heat to 68 F in the winter to save on energy cost. We wish it would be that warm in the summer.

Click to expand...

Ahh, the pains of working in an office!! It's the same where I work, I've got to wear a jacket in here in the winter because it costs to much to keep the place warm, but I also keep a jacket handy in the summer.

The answer to all this is acclimation in my opinion. When I was in school in Tx I lived in an old house with no A/C. Very unusual around there, but hey the rent was VERY cheap... Anyway, at first it was miserable to be honest, but after a few weeks I got used to it and actually started carrying a jacket to wear in classes (A/C buildings) as it felt too cold to me.

Very similar experience now at my office too - I keep a jacket here as the A/C set point is rather low to my liking. We don't keep our A/C very low at all (when used) mostly using it to dehumidify the upstairs near bedtime when needed. My sister in law is visiting from Tx and she is uncomfortable when the house is 75* (gasp) so we've been burning the ol' AC a lot this week (I just tell her I understand and have to respect my elders... that gets me all sorts of points don't you know).

It must be in the mind to some degree, but I wonder if there are some actual physical adjustments our body makes too...

I am only happy when it is between 40-75. Otherwise I am a grump.

I would rather it be much cooler outside than hot.

Go threw the same baloney at work, the old women in the places want to play with the T-stat non stop all winter long rather than letting it stay at 68-70.

I tell em if their chilly, put on another layer, if not, i'm going to start taking mine off and nobody wants that!

velvetfoot said:

I've been doing stuff in the basement this summer, and I have to say, it does feel pleasant. You don't break out into a sweat with just a little exertion.

Click to expand...

+1, when its 95 and humid I go down to the basement and I can literally feel the temp dropping 5d with every 2 stair steps. I keep a dehumidifier on tstat running 24/7. Its 65 with 35-45% humidity.

mass_burner said:

+1, when its 95 and humid I go down to the basement and I can literally feel the temp dropping 5d with every 2 stair steps. I keep a dehumidifier on tstat running 24/7. Its 65 with 35-45% humidity.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good place for an ASHP for your hot water - is the tank down there? Dehumidify and heat water at the same time

I have a Nyletherm HPWH add on. It helps with dehumidification, but only somewhat.

Slow1 said:

Sounds like a good place for an ASHP for your hot water - is the tank down there? Dehumidify and heat water at the same time

Click to expand...

yes, the furnace and storage tank are there. What dies ASHP stand for?

It's all relative to time and place and season . . . after all 60 degrees inside the house in January might feel chilly, but 60 degrees outside in January due to a weather aberration often means folks are walking around outside in shorts and t-shirts . . . heck, it would only take a warm up to 50 degrees to get most folks up this way to start digging out their summer clothes.
d

Nobody complains when I put on more layers. Not the same for taking them off. That's why I left the South for New England.

johnpma said:

In the middle of winter when the temp is 5 degrees outside 60 degrees still feels cold but in the heat of the summer when it's 94 degrees outside 60 degrees feels refreshing

Had this discussion with the wife last night. Same temp two different seasons ???

Click to expand...

Check your man card.

I seem to be fine in a T-shirt at any temp between 50F and 90F, but to my wife... 73F is "freezing" and 77F is "too friggin' hot." Now, I'll admit to preferring too cool to too warm, but going thru life with a 4 degree window of comfort must be miserable.