Ever notice how we become irritable when the room temperature is too high? Maintaining a comfortable room temperature optimizes metabolic processes and bodily functions, which impacts comfort and productivity. A comfortable room temperature boosts cognitive performance, maintains energy levels, enhances task performance, and improves mood. In this article, we’ll discuss the ideal room temperature and practical tips for maintaining it.

The Ideal Room Temperature

Age factor, health concern, and various activities carried out in different rooms influence the ideal temperature. 18°C is the minimum temperature any room should be, this is according to the World Health Organisation and the United Kingdom Government Guidelines. These are the ideal ranges for each room type: Corridors (15-18 °C), Bedroom (16-19°C), Children’s bedroom (16-20°C), kitchen (18- 20°C), living room (20-22°C), office room (20-22°C) bathroom (20- 22°C).

For health considerations, 24-27°C is too hot and unsafe for those with heart problems, 18-21°C is comfortable for most people, 15-16°C is cool but unsafe for those with respiratory ailments, and 9-12°C is too cold and unsafe for those with existing health conditions. The ideal room temperature is suitable all year round, be it is cold or hot season. 

Practical Tips for maintaining a comfortable room temperature

• Natural ventilation: This is the method of pulling fresh air into a room or space from the outside without the use of fans or air conditioners. Simply open doors and windows to allow fresh air in.
• Sun Protection method: Use curtains or window blinds to maintain a comfortable room temperature and reduce air conditioning usage. 
• Moderate usage of air conditioning: Make use of the above ideal room temperature measurement we mentioned, set the HVAC system to the appropriate value.
• Mechanical ventilation: Switch on the fans or air conditioner before the rooms are occupied; this improves energy efficiency and redundancy of temperature adjustment.
• Smart automation: Smart systems like smart thermostats or smart air conditioning systems can be set to automatically turn off air conditioning when windows are opened or when the room gets too cold.
• Insulating Rooms: Installing insulation helps lock heat during the cold season and release heat during the hot season, which helps to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature all year round.

Conclusion

By implementing these simple tips, you can avoid the negative effects of extreme temperatures. Very cold and very hot temperatures can be dangerous to health; maintaining the right room temperature is essential to healthy living. See our articles on maintenance.