Properly insulate your windows and doors to prevent cold air from entering your home. Weatherstripping and caulking your home is the most effective way to keep the cold air out. You can also use tape, plastic wrap and towels to seal your windows and doors. Folded newspaper also helps seal door gaps.
As far as the normal hours of the day when everyone is awake and active in the home, we do recommend the WHO's guideline of 64 degrees (F) as a minimum. Being in a house for long periods of time that is constantly chilly can have negative health effects.
Your pipes are at risk of freezing any time temperatures drop below 32°F. However, it's much more common for pipes to freeze when temperatures dip below 20°F. The longer the weather remains below freezing, the more likely it is your pipes can freeze if not properly protected and winterized.
Prevent Frozen Pipes
Moving water keeps pipes from freezing. Find shut off valves for emergencies. Insulate pipes in unheated areas. Open cupboards and vanities to warm pipes.
Regardless of how long you will be traveling and away from home, keep your thermostat set at 68 degrees Fahrenheit or above. This will help to keep the pipes on the inside of the home from freezing and the ones under the home at a slightly higher temperature as well.
It's advisable to keep your home below 80 degrees throughout the summer. A house that's too warm can be dangerous to people, pets, and the soft surfaces in your home. Set the winter temperature to 68 degrees when you're awake and 62 degrees when you're sleeping.
The World Health Organization recommends keeping indoor temperatures between 64 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for healthy people. The minimum temperature should be kept above 68 degrees Fahrenheit to protect the very young, the elderly, or people with health problems. Watch out for signs of hypothermia.
Sleeping too hot
“Heat is a huge disruptor for REM sleep,” Dr. Drerup says. With the heat of the room, your body temperature will also rise, thus undoing the sleep initiation process entirely. If your bedroom temperature is above 70° F, it's too hot.
Add insulation – especially around pipes.
Adding insulation to the attic, walls or floors can make a big difference in winter (conserving heat) and summer (keeping the cool air in). Insulation helps with home efficiency as well as protection plumbing pipes.
With freezing, the temperature is decreased slowly, usually up to 24 hours. Deep freezing does the same in a much quicker time frame – typically, within an hour. Here we explore the advantages and disadvantages of these two preservation techniques.
Pipes that freeze most frequently are: Pipes that are exposed to severe cold, like outdoor hose bibs, swimming pool supply lines, and water sprinkler lines.
Prepare Your Home : Keep trees and branches trimmed near your house. If you have time before severe weather hits, secure loose objects, close windows and doors, and move any valuable objects inside or under a sturdy structure. Help Your Neighbor: Encourage your loved ones to prepare for severe thunderstorms.
'Although it might not seem like a big deal, leaving your attic door or hatch open during freezing weather can help to prevent a whole host of home maintenance issues, such as preventing ice dams on roofs, frozen pipes, and mold growth,' begins Jay Sanders, contractor and owner of Castle Dream Construction.
The best winter thermostat setting is 62 to 68 degrees. On winter days, program your home's thermostat to 68 degrees for a comfortable indoor temperature while you're home and awake. When sleeping, program your thermostat to 62 degrees. Consider rolling this temperature back to 55 degrees when no one is home.
We all know that freezing begins at 32° F or 0° C, but at what point do pipes freeze within our own homes? Temperatures only need to drop to about 20° F for a few hours to put exposed pipes at risk. So, your best bet is to insulate your exposed pipes to keep that temperature well above the freezing point.
How cold can a house get without heat overnight? The time of day your heater goes out impacts how long the house stays warm. Indoor temperatures go down faster at night, so if your furnace stops overnight, you can expect a quicker decline. This can be as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit before morning.
During heat waves, experts, including utility companies, recommend keeping your thermostat no more than 20 degrees cooler than the outdoor temperature. For instance, if it's 100 degrees outside, aim to set your thermostat to at least 80 degrees.
Cold air inflames lungs and inhibits circulation, increasing the risk of respiratory conditions, such as asthma attacks or symptoms, worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and infection.
During the frigid cold temperatures, set your thermostat on a permanent HOLD around 70 degrees until the weather warms back up to normal temperatures for this season. When temperatures drop below zero or even below freezing for extended periods of time, sometimes your furnace can't keep up.
Wrap your pipes in the colder areas of your home with insulation covers and insulate your water tanks especially in colder places. Use foam rubber or fiberglass sleeves to help decrease the chances of freezing.
Keeping your home warm in the winter is essential for one's comfort and also to keep pipes from freezing. However, you should be mindful of energy consumption as well. According to the Department of Energy, the optimal temperature setting for homes during freezing weather is 68 °F.