The radiator turns on before the alarm goes off. The light outside is still that pale blue morning light that makes you think twice about getting out of bed. You get out of bed and check the air. You can tell right away that it’s too cold to be comfortable but not too warm to complain. People have been saying for a long time that 19 °C is the best temperature for the home. The temperature that is “responsible.” The one that protects our minds, the world, and our money.
But when your toes touch the cold floor, the idea seems very far away.
Why the 19 °C rule is breaking down
For a long time, 19 °C was the right thing to do. Turning the thermostat up felt like a sin against the environment, while turning it down felt like a heroic sacrifice. The number was on government ads, energy bills, and even memos at work. It went from being a suggestion to a rule.
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But reality keeps getting in the way. Kids doing their homework while wearing gloves and hoodies that don’t have fingers. Older parents sit in the living room with a blanket on their knees in October. People who work from home all day are stuck in front of their screens. The old rule doesn’t fit with how we live now.
For instance, Aurélie, who is 38 years old, has been working from home full-time for the past two winters. She tried to keep the holy 19 °C, but it was hard because energy prices were going up and social media posts made her feel bad. She was always tense in her neck, her hands were always cold on the keyboard, and she was always tired, even after drinking coffee.
Her doctor didn’t give her vitamins at first. He asked a direct question: “How hot is it in your home office?” When she said, “19 °C, like we’re supposed to,” he just raised an eyebrow. He told her to check the temperature between 20 and 21 °C during the day for a few weeks, especially when she was sitting still. She didn’t need that extra cup of tea at 5 p.m. to warm her bones anymore because her headaches got better.
Now, experts are saying something very simple: there isn’t a set number for the right temperature. It’s a range. Your age, how active you are, how well your home is insulated, and even your gender all play a role. Studies on comfort show that when we’re moving around, our bodies react differently to 19 °C than when we’re sitting still for hours. The 19 °C rule came from a time when most people didn’t spend all day typing in a cold corner of the living room.
Experts in energy and health are slowly coming to an agreement on a new recommendation: during the day, living areas should be kept at about 20–21 °C, especially if you’re sitting still or working. The temperature should be a little lower at night and in rooms that aren’t being used.
The new temperatures that experts really think are best
The new rule that is coming out is more relaxed and more human. Many health and energy experts now say that instead of a universal 19 °C, you should try to keep the main living areas at around 20–21 °C when you’re awake and not doing much. This is true for the living room, the corner of the home office, and the kids’ study area.
At night, you can turn down the heat in the bedroom to about 17–18 °C. This helps you get more sleep and lowers your bill. Kitchens can be a little cooler because cooking makes the room hotter. But when you take a shower, the bathroom should be 21–22 °C so you don’t get that painful shiver when you get out of the water.
No one will say this out loud, but your body is not a thermostat with a set temperature. A young adult who moves around a lot, lives in a well-insulated flat, and cooks every night can feel fine at 19–20 °C. At that same temperature, an older person with poor circulation who lives in an old, drafty house might be putting their health at risk.
We’ve all been there: you go to your grandparents’ house and think, “Wow, it’s hot in here,” but they still feel cold. Some doctors say that the main room should be between 21 and 22 °C during the day. The “good” temperature now looks more like a sliding scale than a magic number on a flyer.
There is also a psychological truth: if the floor is cold or the wall behind you is cold, the room doesn’t feel like 20 °C. It’s not just the temperature of the air that makes you feel good; it’s also how your body gives off heat to everything around it. A thick rug or better windows can make a room that isn’t well insulated feel as comfortable at 20 °C as it does at 21 or 22 °C.
Let’s be honest: no one really walks around their house with a thermometer in their hand and changes it every hour. Experts are now saying that we need a mix of small habits and realistic goals, with less dogma and more real life.
How to make your home warmer more efficiently with the new temperature range
Many experts agree that the best way to do this is to set a base temperature for your home, like 20–21 °C, and then play with zones and times instead of feeling bad. Set your thermostat a little lower at night: 17–18 °C in bedrooms and 16–17 °C in rooms that aren’t being used or the hallway.
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If you work from home, try this simple routine: while you work, turn up the heat in the living room or office to 20–21 °C. When you leave, cook, or move around more, turn it down a notch. It’s not about heating everything all the time; it’s about heating where you are when you need it.
A lot of people think in terms of “all or nothing.” They either freeze at 18–19 °C to be good, or they give up and push to 23 °C everywhere as soon as the first cold snap hits. The new method promotes subtlety. To keep your wallet and the environment safe, you don’t have to live in a fridge.
Even when you’re inside, dress for the season. This one piece of advice will change everything. You don’t need a mountain parka; a warm sweater, socks, and maybe slippers will do instead of walking on the tiles barefoot. That means you can feel good at 20–21 °C instead of chasing 23 °C just to feel “in a T-shirt like summer.”
Energy engineer Léa M. says, “We’ve turned 19 °C into a moral standard when it should have stayed what it really is: a number in a context.”
She gives her clients a list of things to do to help them make changes one at a time instead of worrying about a strict rule.
Set the temperature in your living areas to about 20–21 °C when you’re home and mostly sitting down.
- Keep bedrooms at 17–18 °C at night to sleep better and save money.
- When you take a shower, turn the heat up in the bathroom for a little while, and then turn it back down.
- Use programmable thermostats or simple time switches instead of “on/off marathons.”
- Make sure that drafts (seals, rugs, curtains) are fixed so that 20 °C feels good.
- It’s not just a number on the thermostat that makes us comfortable.
When the sacred 19 °C changes, it makes you think about what “warm enough” means for you in your own home, with your own body and routine. People who are wrapped up in a sweater and holding a cup of tea will be very comfortable at 20 °C. Some people will need that extra half-degree to keep their shoulders from getting tense all day. The goal is not to make the display perfect, but to find the right balance between comfort, health, and energy use.
You might even notice that your relationship with heat is changing. A few years ago, you might have loved tropical interiors and wearing T-shirts in the winter. Now, though, you like how you feel when it’s around 20 °C. Or the other way around. Our rules should change as our needs do.
The phrase “anything goes” doesn’t mean the 19 °C rule is over. It sounds more like a call to take back your thermostat as a tool than a sign. To talk about it with your family or people you live with. To say out loud what feels good and what is too much. A short, honest conversation like that can do more for the world and your mood than a number on an old poster.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| New comfort range | Around 20–21 °C in main living areas, cooler at night | Helps balance comfort, health, and energy savings |
| Adapt to your profile | Age, activity level, insulation, and health change your ideal temperature | Encourages a personalized, guilt-free approach |
| Think in zones and moments | Heat where you are, when you need it, instead of uniformly | Reduces bills without feeling like you’re “living in the cold” |
Questions and Answers:
- Is it now “too cold” at home at 19 °C? Not all the time. Some active adults who live in homes that are well-insulated might be fine at 19–20 °C. Experts say that this rule doesn’t work for everyone anymore, especially for kids, older people, or people who sit still all day.
- What do doctors say is the best temperature for older people? Most doctors say that older people should live in a main living room that is between 21 and 22 °C. If they are comfortable, their bedrooms should be a little cooler. The most important thing is to stay out of the cold for long periods of time, as it can make breathing and circulation problems worse.
- Will my heating bill go up a lot if I set the temperature to 20–21 °C instead of 19 °C? One extra degree does make you use more energy, but you can make up for it by zoning rooms, lowering the heat at night, sealing drafts, and not heating rooms that aren’t used very often. The goal is not just to get “more heat,” but to use heat “smarter.”
- What is the best temperature for sleeping in the bedroom? Most sleep experts agree that the best temperature is between 17 and 18 °C. A bedroom that is a little cool and has a warm duvet usually helps you sleep better and longer than one that is very warm.
- How do I know if my house is too cold?It might be too cold if you are always tense, wear coats inside, see condensation and mold, or if people who are weak feel cold even when they are resting. You should believe both the thermometer and what your body is telling you, and stay in the new range that has been suggested.
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