Too Hot, Too Cold, Or Just Right?

Is your home too hot, too cold, or just right? This brief temperature guide will help. Maintaining a certain temperature in your home isn’t just a matter of comfort. It’s also a matter of health, with the World Health Organization recommending a minimum indoor temperature during winter of 18°C, increasing to 21°C if babies or elderly people reside in the property.

However, the average daily indoor temperature in the winter months for most New Zealand houses is only 16°C, and when temperatures hover around that mark, respiratory illness is likely to increase, particularly in the very young or the elderly. The reason for this is that cold homes also contain a high degree of moisture which can lead to respiratory issues. Moisture usually increases in winter when homes are closed up and ventilation is minimised. So, the moisture we generate during our daily activities like cooking, showering, drying laundry and even just breathing, is trapped in the home and that can have an adverse effect. Each one of us produces about one litre of moisture per day this way, and without a good heat source to warm and dry out the air, moisture will condense on cold surfaces, such as windows and uninsulated walls.

When it comes to a healthy temperature range in the bedroom, there is a variance depending on the age of the person sleeping there. 18 to 21°C is considered to be the healthiest range for babies and children. The temperature range is extended for adults, at 15 to 22°C, and restricted again for the elderly, with 19 to 21°C being their healthy temperatures.

In summer, room temperatures of around 21°C are considered ideal. While it might be tempting to set your heat pump even lower, it’s often overlooked that people wear lighter and less clothing in summer – so by running the heat pump at something like 18°C, you might bring a touch of winter to your home! On the other hand, running a heat pump too high in winter when everyone is rugged up in woollen jerseys will create stifling conditions.

There is no doubt that a heat pump is the best way to efficiently warm and cool a home. It is also the easiest way to maintain a healthy temperature, once that temperature has been reached. When you’re trying to stick within the healthy temperature range for different ages in different rooms, a heat pump unit is also the best way to go. So, when it comes to getting things just right instead of too hot, or too cold, a heat pump is definitely the perfect answer.