What temperature should be in the apartment in the winter, and what - in the summer? These questions relate to the concept of "temperature comfort", that is, to a temperature in the room at which a person does not feel either cold or heat. Let us consider this topic in more detail in the article.
Key questions regarding thermal comfort
As soon as the summer ends and the autumn period begins, many people put on warm shirts, jackets and windcheaters, and at this time there are old disputes about when to start the heating season in apartments with central heating, or at what temperature it is necessary to install a heater thermostat in houses with individual heating systems.
In addition to the question of what should be the temperature of the air in the apartment, other similar questions arise that relate to temperature at the workplace, in public transport and in the entrances of houses. Some people freeze and wrap themselves in sweaters and jackets, while others continue to wear fairly light clothes. This is because individual factors influence the sensation of cold or heat, but also environmental factors. Let's consider them in more detail.
Outdoor temperature and humidity
When considering the question what room temperature should be in the apartment, first of all, it should be borne in mind that there are two main factors on which the answer to the question poses:
- outdoor temperature;
- humidity in the room.
The human body has the ability to adapt to the environment, adjusting its biological systems to external conditions. This means that the feeling of thermal comfort in the summer and in the winter will be different. So, in the summer, our body is better adapted to high temperatures, therefore, in the apartment, these temperatures should be higher than in the cold season. That is, the whole idea of the temperature comfort mode is to minimize temperature gradients on the street and indoors.
As for the humidity of the air, that is, the amount of water vapor dissolved in the air, it should be said that the perception of temperature by our body depends on it. So, the higher the humidity, the stronger the person feels that he is hot, although at the same time the temperatures can be relatively low.
Temperature Standards in Russia and the USA
The question of what temperature should be in the apartment in the winter is regulated in Russia by GOST R 51617-2000 and the norms of SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-10, according to which the comfortable temperature in the apartments should be in the range from 18 ° C to 25 ° C. This GOST also establishes what temperatures should be in different rooms, for example, low values from the specified limit should correspond to the temperature in the corridor, average values - to the temperature in the bedroom, and high values are suitable for the bathroom.
It is also interesting to bring the American standard for comfortable temperatures and compare it with the Russian one. The most common standard in the USA is the so-called ASHRAE 55. This standard provides a graphical form of comfortable indoor temperature zones taking into account the time of year and air humidity. According to the American standard, in the winter the apartment should have temperatures of 21-24 ° C for humidity limits from 30% to 65%, in summer, for the specified humidity limits, the comfortable limit of air temperatures is higher and is 23-27 ° C. The ideal temperature is 21 ° C in winter, and 26 ° C in summer.
A comparison of Russian and American norms for temperature in an apartment in winter shows that they are completely consistent with each other, if you follow the average values in the indicated Russian limit of permissible temperatures.
Individual characteristics of a person and temperature comfort
Opening the topic, what temperature norm should be in the apartment, it is necessary to note one important point, which is as follows: the peculiarities of perceiving the ambient temperature are different for different people. So, people who have more adipose tissue are more resistant to cold than those who have little fat.
In addition, recent studies have confirmed that women begin to feel cold and freeze earlier than men. The explanation for this fact is quite paradoxical: when the ambient temperature begins to decrease, the blood vessels in the skin of the woman contract and contract, in this way the female body begins to save heat and expends it to heat the brain and internal organs to a greater extent than peripheral zones of the body. However, the “cold” receptors are located on the surface of the skin, and since less blood began to flow to it, they signal the woman’s brain that they are starting to freeze. In men, such a mechanism of thermoregulation was not found.
Human Age and Physical Activity
What should be the temperature in the apartment? In addition to the factors considered and the figures given, it is also necessary to keep in mind the physical activity of a person and his age. It is known that at an older age many processes in the body slow down, so a comfortable temperature for an elderly person will always be 1-3 ° C higher than for a young body. On the other hand, the higher the person’s activity, the faster metabolic processes in his body go and the lower the temperature norms for him.
Why is it important to monitor the temperature in an apartment or house?
For a complete answer to this question, two fundamental points must be taken into account: human performance and energy costs.
It is well known that human performance depends on air temperature, and if the latter is not suitable, then the quality and effectiveness of various work will begin to decline significantly. So, according to one American study, if the room temperature drops below 20 ° C, then people begin to make mistakes of a different nature 44% more often than at a temperature of 21 ° C.
Saving energy is one of the burning issues that every person faces. It was found that an increase in air temperature by every degree in an apartment or house leads to an increase in energy costs by 7%. This means that in the absence of special requirements for maintaining a certain temperature in the room, you should always adhere to the minimum permissible values in the winter and the maximum permissible in the summer. Recall, when answering the question, what is the minimum temperature in the apartment in winter, what should it be 21 ° C, so there is no need to set the temperature higher, for example, 23 ° C, otherwise you will have to pay 14% more heat for 2 ° C, and there is absolutely no difference for the health of the body between the numbers 21 ° C and 23 ° C.
Many people wonder what temperature should be in a corner apartment. Recommended standards remain the same, however, since corner apartments in houses are usually cold, the cost of heating them will be slightly higher than for similar apartments in the middle of the house.
Energy saving issue
Answering the question of what temperature should be in the apartment, it should be said that its optimal value in winter is 21 ° C. However, it is not necessary to maintain this temperature throughout the day. So, if a person goes to work and there are no people left in the apartment, then you can put the heater thermostat at a temperature of 15 ° C, if a person leaves for several days from the apartment, then the thermostat can generally be set at 5 ° C. In addition, the kitchen can not be heated at all, since it has its own sources of heat (refrigerator, electric or gas stove) that will maintain the required temperature.
Modern technologies take care of a person in many ways, for example, many modern heating systems allow using the climate control mode, which itself will monitor the room temperature.
Some practical tips
Concluding the topic, what temperature should be in the apartment, here are some tips that will allow a person to feel comfortable in the apartment, but at the same time save energy and money for heating the room:
- Before going to bed, it is recommended to turn off all heaters, and in the morning ventilate the room, and then turn them on.
- It is necessary to ensure that the radiators of the heaters are in a clean state. Also, there should not be any objects near them that impede the free movement of air.
- It is recommended to close the curtains of windows at night: this way you can save some amount of energy.