What Temperature Should You Set Your Furnace to in Minnesota?

WINTER THERMOSTAT • HEATING COMFORT • MINNESOTA HOMES

HOUSEHOLD A 68°

“Perfect.”

HOUSEHOLD B 72°

“Still chilly.”

THE INTERNET One answer

Apparently mandatory.

Someone online will insist each of those is the only correct answer.

GOOD NEWS Your thermostat is not a morality test.

THE BETTER QUESTION What temperature balances comfort, energy use, the home and the people actually living there?

There Is No Universal Perfect Setting

One person thinks 68 degrees feels great.

Another is wearing three sweaters at 72.

HOME #1 Comfortable at 68°

≠

HOME #2 Comfortable at 72°

NEITHER HOUSEHOLD IS AUTOMATICALLY “DOING HVAC WRONG” The useful part is understanding how comfort, equipment operation and heating demand change when you adjust the setting.

Lower Set Points Reduce Heating Demand

The greater the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the more heat a home generally loses.

OUTDOORS Cold

→

INDOORS Warmer target

→

HEATING SYSTEM More heat required to maintain it

Reducing the thermostat while sleeping or away can reduce heating demand.

The useful question is not “Should everyone use the same setback?” It is “How much setback makes sense for this household and this heating system?”

Bigger Setbacks Are Not Always Better

If you dramatically reduce the temperature overnight, the heating system eventually has to recover.

CONVENTIONAL FURNACE May simply run longer to recover

HEAT PUMP Control strategy may matter more

With heat-pump systems, large thermostat changes can interact with backup heat depending on how the equipment and controls are configured.

HEAT-PUMP OWNERS Use a setback strategy appropriate for the actual system rather than assuming every furnace-style schedule applies the same way.

Don't Turn the Thermostat to 85 to Heat Faster

This is the winter version of setting the AC to 60.

THERMOSTAT SET TO 85°

does not create a “turbo heat” button.

YOU WANT 70°

→

SET 70°

→

NOT 85° just because you're cold

THE THERMOSTAT IS A TARGET Setting a conventional furnace thermostat dramatically higher generally changes the destination—not the basic heating output.

What If the Furnace Runs a Lot?

Longer runtime during cold Minnesota weather can be normal.

Focus on what the system is accomplishing.

SET POINT Does the house reach it?

CONSISTENCY Are temperatures reasonably stable?

AIRFLOW Does airflow seem normal?

CYCLING Is the system operating normally?

Runtime by itself does not diagnose a furnace problem.

One Thermostat Cannot Experience Every Room

The thermostat measures the conditions where the thermostat is located.

SOUTH-FACING Living room

UPSTAIRS Bedroom

LOWER LEVEL Basement office

Those spaces may all feel different even though one thermostat is controlling the system.

IF THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE ONE ROOM COMFORTABLE... “Turn the entire house way up.”

...it may be time to investigate airflow, balancing, insulation or another comfort issue instead.

Smart Thermostats Can Help With Scheduling

Smart and programmable thermostats can make setbacks and recovery schedules easier to manage.

Some systems can also use remote room sensors.

A SMART THERMOSTAT CAN Manage schedules Adjust set points automatically Support remote monitoring or sensors

IT CANNOT FIX Undersized ductwork Blocked airflow Poor insulation Failing equipment

Technology cannot automate away a physical comfort problem.

Comfort Is More Than Temperature

Two houses can both read 70 degrees and feel completely different.

HUMIDITY How dry or moist the air feels

DRAFTS Unwanted air movement

WINDOWS Cold surface temperatures

AIR MOVEMENT How conditioned air reaches the room

SURFACES Radiant temperatures around you

70° ON THE THERMOSTAT does not guarantee identical comfort in every home.

Use the Thermostat as Information

Pay attention when this winter behaves differently from the last one.

SETTING You need a much higher temperature to feel comfortable

ROOMS Different areas behave differently

CAPACITY Furnace cannot reach the set point

RUNTIME Operation suddenly changes

THOSE CHANGES ARE USEFUL CLUES They may point toward airflow, equipment, insulation, thermostat placement or another home-comfort issue worth investigating.

Set the Temperature You Actually Want

There is no trophy for having the coldest house on the block.

There is also no reason to ignore major changes in comfort or equipment behavior just because the thermostat can be turned higher.

COMFORT Choose a livable setting

EFFICIENCY Use reasonable setbacks when they make sense

EQUIPMENT Follow the strategy appropriate for your system

CHANGES Pay attention when the house behaves differently

THE THERMOSTAT SHOULD HELP YOU CONTROL COMFORT It should not be the only tool used to explain why a house feels cold.

TURNING THE THERMOSTAT UP BUT THE HOUSE STILL FEELS COLD?

Let's Find Out What Changed

Air Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning helps homeowners throughout Anoka County, the North Metro and surrounding Minnesota communities diagnose heating comfort issues, uneven temperatures, airflow problems, thermostat concerns and furnace or heat-pump performance.

If you're using a much higher setting than usual, one room will not warm up or the heating system cannot maintain temperature, we can help look beyond the thermostat number.

CALL 763-753-6623 REQUEST SERVICE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Winter Thermostat Questions

What is the best thermostat temperature in winter?

There is no single setting that is right for every household. Choose a comfortable temperature and use reasonable setbacks when they make sense for your home, schedule and heating equipment.

Does setting the thermostat higher make the furnace warm the house faster?

Generally no. On a conventional furnace, increasing the thermostat setting mainly changes the target temperature rather than making the furnace suddenly produce hotter air or operate in a special faster-heating mode.

Should I use the same setback strategy with a heat pump?

Not necessarily. Heat-pump and backup-heating controls can respond differently to large temperature setbacks, so the best strategy depends on the system and its control configuration.

Is it normal for my furnace to run longer when it is very cold outside?

Longer heating cycles can be normal during cold weather because the home is losing heat more quickly. What matters is whether the system can maintain the set temperature and operate without abnormal cycling, noise or airflow problems.