You press the thermostat and see 19 °C. The familiar “good citizen” number repeated for years through energy-saving campaigns, rising bills, and climate messaging. It feels almost automatic.
Your feet feel cold though. Your teenager keeps wearing a hoodie inside the house. Your elderly mother who came to visit for the weekend quietly puts a blanket over her legs while saying she feels fine. You start to think about whether 19 degrees Celsius really works for everyone or if it is just an old rule that people keep following without asking questions.
You are not the only one dealing with this issue. Throughout Europe this winter doctors and building specialists & public health professionals have been reviewing their guidance. The updated recommendation might surprise you.
When the 19 °C Standard Meets Modern Reality
For decades, 19 °C was promoted as the perfect compromise: warm enough to live in, cool enough to cut emissions. Simple and reassuring.
The research that produced that number comes from a much different time period. Houses had more air leaks and people moved around more during the day. Their daily habits were completely unlike the screen-focused lives we lead now. Today’s homes have better insulation but they also trap air inside more effectively. Many people now sit in one place for extended periods throughout the day.
An aging population also changes the equation. Older adults and those with circulatory or respiratory conditions often struggle at temperatures once considered acceptable. What felt normal decades ago can now feel uncomfortably cold.
Energy poverty has increased significantly in recent times. Many households now maintain indoor temperatures between 17 & 18 degrees Celsius not because they prefer it but because they worry about expensive utility bills. This situation has prompted experts to ask an important question: are people keeping their homes too cold in ways that might harm their health?
What the Evidence Now Shows
Recent surveys in the UK show a clear difference between what people say and what they do. When asked about winter heating most adults said they keep their living rooms at around 21 to 22 degrees Celsius. This happens even though they know about the official advice to heat homes to 19 degrees Celsius. The gap between recommended temperatures and actual practice reveals something important about how people really live. Many households simply find the lower temperature uncomfortable despite understanding it could save energy & money.
Health data reinforces this shift. Hospital admissions for respiratory illness, cardiovascular issues, and even mental health crises rise during prolonged cold periods—not only in freezing conditions, but in homes kept below roughly 20–21 °C.
The World Health Organization now recommends that healthy adults should not live in homes colder than 18 degrees Celsius. Vulnerable individuals generally need temperatures around 20 to 21 degrees Celsius to stay safe.
As a result, energy and health experts increasingly converge on a new comfort range: around 20–21 °C in main living spaces. Not excessive, not austere—simply human.
A New Target That Depends on the Room
The updated advice doesn’t call for one fixed temperature throughout the home. Instead, specialists emphasize zoned heating. Living rooms and home offices often benefit from 20–21 °C, while bedrooms typically perform well at 17–19 °C, supporting better sleep.
Less-used spaces can stay at cooler temperatures as long as they remain dry. This method replaces the strict 19 degree Celsius rule with a flexible approach where you keep living areas warmer and rarely used spaces cooler.
Comfort Is More Than a Number
Experts point out that how cold you actually feel matters more than what the thermostat says. When walls are cold or there are drafts along the floor or surfaces without proper insulation, air at 20 degrees Celsius can feel much colder than it should. Real comfort comes from how well the entire building is sealed and insulated not just from the temperature number on your thermostat.
Public messaging that clings to a single sacred number ignores how people actually live. The revised guidance points toward a modest increase where it matters, paired with smarter controls and improved insulation to prevent waste.
Heating More Efficiently at 20–21 °C
The main concern about raising the temperature is the expense. Energy bills already seem high and each additional degree appears costly. People worry that increasing their thermostat setting will lead to significantly higher monthly payments. This anxiety makes many households keep their homes cooler than they would prefer. The relationship between comfort and cost creates a difficult balance for families trying to manage their budgets. Most homeowners understand that heating systems consume substantial amounts of energy. When temperatures drop outside the house needs more power to maintain warmth inside. This basic principle means that setting the thermostat higher requires the heating system to work harder & longer. The actual cost increase depends on several factors. The size of the home matters because larger spaces require more energy to heat. Insulation quality plays a major role since well-insulated homes retain heat better and need less energy. The type of heating system also affects efficiency and operating costs. Many people overestimate how much money they will save by keeping their homes uncomfortably cold. The difference between setting a thermostat at 68 degrees versus 70 degrees might only add a few dollars to the monthly bill. However the discomfort of living in a chilly house affects daily life significantly. Energy companies often provide tools to help customers understand their usage patterns. Smart thermostats can track heating costs & show exactly how temperature adjustments impact bills. This information helps homeowners make informed decisions rather than guessing about expenses. The fear of high costs sometimes prevents people from maintaining healthy indoor temperatures. Experts recommend keeping homes warm enough to prevent health issues especially for elderly residents and young children. The savings from extreme temperature reduction may not justify the potential health risks. Understanding actual heating costs rather than assumed expenses allows better decision making. Small temperature increases typically result in modest bill changes while significantly improving comfort levels throughout the home.
Heating professionals point out something that seems backward at first. Keeping your home at a steady temperature between 20 and 21 degrees Celsius can actually use less energy than turning the heat on and off throughout the day. The reason is simple. Boilers & heat pumps work most efficiently when they run at a constant level rather than stopping and starting all the time.
Many specialists now promote low-and-slow heating. This involves setting living areas to 20–21 °C during use, while lowering boiler flow temperatures to around 50–60 °C. Radiators run longer at gentler heat, improving overall efficiency.
Letting Go of the Guilt Around Warmth
For many people the barrier is not technical but emotional. Turning the thermostat above 19 degrees Celsius can feel like a moral failure.
Health experts strongly disagree with this way of thinking. Staying in cold homes for extended periods creates genuine health risks that affect children and older adults the most. People who have ongoing medical conditions face particular danger. There is nothing admirable about forcing yourself to live in a cold house. Medical professionals point out that indoor cold exposure differs completely from brief outdoor cold. Your body cannot properly adapt when you spend hours or days in temperatures that remain too low. This puts unnecessary stress on your system & can lead to serious problems over time. The idea that toughing it out in a freezing home builds character or saves meaningful money ignores basic health science. Your immune system works less effectively in sustained cold. Your heart has to work harder to maintain core temperature. These effects accumulate and create vulnerability to illness. Children need warm environments for proper development and growth. Their smaller bodies lose heat faster than adults. Older people often have reduced ability to sense temperature changes and generate body heat. Both groups deserve protection from prolonged indoor cold rather than praise for enduring it. Chronic health conditions become harder to manage in cold settings. Respiratory problems worsen. Arthritis pain increases. Blood pressure rises. These are not minor inconveniences but real medical concerns that doctors see regularly in their practices. Treating cold tolerance as a badge of honor misses the point entirely. Modern housing exists precisely to shelter us from environmental extremes. Choosing to live without adequate heating when alternatives exist makes no sense from a health perspective.
Meaningful energy savings often come from elsewhere: draft sealing, attic insulation, window upgrades, radiator maintenance, and closing shutters at night. These measures frequently outperform micro-adjusting the thermostat.
From Fixed Rules to Flexible Ranges
The familiar 19 °C rule lingers in old brochures and casual conversation, more habit than evidence. The emerging guidance is more flexible and more realistic.
Experts do not want people to spend too much money. They want us to stop thinking about strict spending limits and instead consider reasonable amounts that cover our health needs good housing and everyday living costs.
Some households will stay comfortable when the temperature is set to 19 degrees Celsius. Other families might need 21 degrees Celsius to feel at ease. The important shift happens when people understand that feeling comfortable & staying healthy can work together with protecting the environment. This balance is possible when each household picks the right temperature setting that works for their specific needs.
- New target range: About 20–21 °C in main living areas for most adults
- Room-by-room approach: Cooler bedrooms and lightly heated unused rooms
- Smarter savings: Insulation, draft-proofing, and stable settings over extreme cuts
