The recommendation of the World Health Organization is to keep the temperature in homes up to 20 degrees Celsius during the winter. At the same time, for a comfortable sleep, the best temperature in the bedroom is 18 degrees. But each of us has our own temperature range in which we feel comfortable, and this can vary quite a lot from one people to another, depending on the culture of each. If we want to save money, lowering the thermostat by one degree will reduce our gas bill by 7%.

The recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to keep the temperature in homes up to 20 degrees Celsius in the winter.

At the same time, for a comfortable sleep, the best temperature in the bedroom is 18 degrees. However, each person has their own temperature range in which they feel comfortable, and this can vary quite a bit from one person to another.

The average temperature in European homes exceeds 22 degrees, according to a study by the International Energy Agency (IEA), data provided by E.ON Romania to HotNews.ro shows.

Between the east and the west and the east of Europe there is a difference of several degrees Celsius, plus or minus.

According to representatives of Engie Romania, the difference between heating habits between European countries can be significant.

In general, Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Norway or Finland strive to maintain lower temperatures in homes based on a combination of energy-efficient technologies and a culture that promotes energy conservation.

On the other hand, in southern European countries such as Spain or Italy, people can maintain a higher temperature at home in winter.

“It is important to note that this is a generalization and there are significant differences between countries. People adopt different habits depending on several factors, including the local climate, availability and cost of energy,” Engie said.

Most Romanians prefer to sleep at temperatures above 20 degrees

According to a study carried out by E.ON and Kantar in 2018 on the preferred bedroom temperature of Europeans, Romanians prefer a warm bedroom the most: 94% of those surveyed admitted that they sleep best at a temperature of 20 degrees. Celsius or higher.

And in Hungary or Turkey, a high level of warmth in the bedroom is highly valued, 82% of Hungarians and 76% of Turks prefer to sleep at a temperature of at least 20 degrees Celsius.

Germans and French like to keep their bedrooms cooler. 66% of respondents from France and 65% from Germany prefer to rest in rooms with a temperature below 20 degrees.

Almost a quarter of respondents in the UK prefer a lower temperature of 15 degrees or less. And in Germany, 15% of Germans admit that they prefer to sleep at a temperature below 15 degrees.

In comparison, only 1% of Romanians feel comfortable with this temperature in their bedroom, and only 6% of all respondents would choose to sleep in a room with a temperature below 20 degrees.

How much will a Romanian save if he lowers the thermostat by one degree

Decreasing the temperature of the thermostat by one degree Celsius means reducing natural gas consumption by about 7%, both companies surveyed said.

Compared to an average annual consumption of 12 MWh and a capped price of 310 lei/MWh including VAT, the resulting savings are approximately 217 lei per year, as E.ON Romania’s calculations show.

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