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We asked, you answered: Here’s what Michiganders set their thermostats to in the wintertime

By Karel Vega

January 31, 2025

We crunched the numbers, and one setting came out on top.

I grew up in California but have lived in Michigan for nearly a decade. For some time now, I believed I’d adapted to the state’s cold winters and could consider myself a true Michigander through and through.

That is, until the topic of thermostat settings came up during a recent conversation with friends, and I realized there was still one big elephant in the room—my (supposedly) way too high winter thermostat settings.

Now listen, I like snow as much as the next person, but when I’m at home, I like to keep the heat at a toasty 73. I couldn’t be the only one, right?

Instead of dwelling on it for the rest of my life, I figured the best way to get an answer would be to come directly to you. Read on for the details.

What Michiganders said

To get to the bottom of this, we recently asked our newsletter and social media followers: What temperature do you set your thermostat to in the wintertime?

After receiving nearly 100 responses, we crunched the numbers, and here’s what we learned:

While most people responded with a range spanning the mid to high 60s, by far, the most popular thermostat setting was 68°F.

We also saw some common patterns with the responses—many folks (around 40%) reported setting a lower nighttime temperature than their daytime setting.

And just like with many other questions we’ve asked readers to chime in on in the past, we saw many passionate responses from ‘Ganders (around 20%) about keeping the house cooler while layering clothing or using blankets to stay warm.

Some of my favorite comments:

“We set our thermostat at 68 during the day and 58 at night during the winter. The cold temperature makes sleeping very comfortable, and we use sweaters and blankets during the day if we need to.” – Susan E

“We typically maintain 67-68 degrees. If that’s not warm enough, that’s what blankets and slippers are for.” – Candace Ruusi

“The highest we set our thermostat during the day is 68, overnight it’s set at 66. If you’re cold put another layer on!” – Michelle Bogue

“We heat our well-insulated house with a pellet/recycled corncobs stove, and we keep that thermostat at 63 degrees. (We even sleep with our bedroom patio door cracked, or even open more, depending). It’s plenty warm, and we’re doing our part to support the outdoor sports industry’s winter weather apparel department! :-)” – Sue Boissenet

Is there a correct winter thermostat setting?

After I got a sense of what Michiganders set their thermostat to, it led to another question: Is there a “correct” temperature a house should be set to in the wintertime? And the answer is, kind of.

For starters, as many homeowners know, there is a minimum temperature a house should be set to in order to avoid the expensive problem of freezing pipes. According to the nonprofit Consumer Reports, Frozen pipes generally occur below 20°F. To prevent, a house’s thermostat should be set no lower than 55°F, especially if you plan on being away for an extended period of time.

Keeping that general rule in mind, if you’re worried about saving money, The US Department of Energy recommends homeowners to set the thermostat to around 68°F to 70°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. Following this, the department says you can save as much as 10% a year on heating by turning your thermostat back 7°-10°F for 8 hours a day from its normal setting.

Author

  • Karel Vega

    Coming from a long background in public radio, Karel Vega strives to find stories that inform and inspire local communities. Before joining The ‘Gander, Karel served as managing editor at WKAR, the NPR affiliate in East Lansing, Michigan.

CATEGORIES: LOCAL CULTURE
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