I think Michael Mosley said something about having your heating at no more than 15C will help you produce ābrown fatā š@philippasmith2
Yes he did a series on R4 so it will be available on BBC sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Ā He acknowledged that it will depend a bit on the layout of your house and where your thermostat is.Ā There were several aspects to it.Ā
Yes this is the point,Ā if you have a fixed thermostat on the wall of say a cold hallway then setting it at 15 - 16 does not mean your living spaces will be at that level. It depends on your circumstances but a living space, say a lounge where you are mostly staying still should be at least 18 -19 to be comfortable,Ā even then you might want some warm clothing on. To save energy other spaces shouldĀ Ā be lower.Ā
Temperature and comfort have other factors I think. For example, Iām quite comfortable in the 12 degree kitchen this morning as the sun is out, I have plenty of layers on, coffee on the go and pottering about, but come this evening, I would be feeling really chilly being in there even if the temp says the same number.Ā
They did experiments and found that below 18 degrees the human body spends energy keeping its core temperature up - below that there are various effects on the body and brain. Luckily my place seems to keep above 15 degrees over night (typically between 16.5 and 17.5) during winter - presumably as I heat it to >18 degrees during the day/evening.
Temperature and comfort have other factors I think. For example, Iām quite comfortable in the 12 degree kitchen this morning as the sun is out, I have plenty of layers on, coffee on the go and pottering about, but come this evening, I would be feeling really chilly being in there even if the temp says the same number.Ā
We find the same, today is bright and sunny so our kitchen and lounge facing south are perfectly warm even though the outside temperature is only +2 and theĀ heating is off now. If it's a grey wet day but mildĀ and we weren't moving around much we would be considering putting it back on.
We have no thermostat in our new place. But in the previous house, the thermostat was in the hallway, set at anything from 12Ā°C to 18.5Ā°C. The best radiator was in the dining room, which belted out the heat. Anywhere else downstairs was average. Upstairs was poor, except for the bathroom. So with the thermostat at 18.5Ā°C, the dining room would be 22Ā°C, the lounge at 19Ā°C (north facing), but with a booster heater, as requested by OH, the bathroom 18Ā°C, and the bedrooms at about 14Ā°C.Ā
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But in the previous house, the thermostat was in the hallway, set at anything from 12Ā°C to 18.5Ā°C.
The best radiator was in the dining room, which belted out the heat. Anywhere else downstairs was average. Upstairs was poor, except for the bathroom.
So with the thermostat at 18.5Ā°C, the dining room would be 22Ā°C, the lounge at 19Ā°C (north facing), but with a booster heater, as requested by OH, the bathroom 18Ā°C, and the bedrooms at about 14Ā°C.Ā