What Is Room Temperature?

What’s covered?

Understand what should be the ideal temperature for your room to be comfortable.

If you have a thermometer in your room, its reading is your room's temperature. The room temperature is thus the average ambient temperature around you. Room temperatures vary from season to season and even from minute to minute. The average room temperature is also different in different regions of the world. What should be an ideal room temperature?

Ideal room temperature

An ideal room temperature is an indoor temperature at which you feel cosy while wearing your most comfortable clothes. You are neither losing your body heat (as in winter) nor gaining heat (as in summer). You set the ideal room temperature of your air conditioning system at this room temperature range. thermal comfort however is a complex phenomenon and depends on various other factors e.g., air humidity, air circulation, etc...

Average room temperature by different sources

Different sources have given different ranges for the ideal room temperature range. However, these values mostly fall in the range of 20-25 C (68-77 F). Some common ranges given by different sources are;

Merriam Webster

Merriam Webster is a US-based publishing company. It has defined room temperature as a temperature that is neither too cold nor too hot. It has provided a range of 15-25oC (59-77OF). This source recommends this indoor temperature for human habitat and comfort.

World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO is an agency of the United Nations that is engaged in global collaboration on public health. It has recommended a minimum temperature of 18 C (68 F) as the best room temperature for all people.

American heritage dictionary

According to this source, the ideal room temperature fluctuates between 20 to 22 C (68 to 72 F).

International union of pure and applied chemists (IUPAC)

The temperatures recommended by IUPAC are for laboratory experimentation. According to this source, the ideal room temperature is 25 C (77 F). The room temperature is important for conducting any experiments as the cold air or proximity to a heating system can influence the results of experiments.

Does it vary with gender?

The fat inside your body acts as an insulator against temperature fluctuations. Men and women have different muscle-to-fat ratios and different body sizes. That's why women tend to feel cooler than men under the same environmental conditions. Women will prefer a high temperature of 25 C (770C) than a man who will prefer a lower temperature of 22oC (72oC).

Does it vary with age?

Yes of course. The bodies of the elderly feel cooler because they have a low rate of metabolism and lower food intake than youngsters. They prefer slightly higher temperatures of around 25.5oC (78oF).

Does it vary with the type of room?

A perfect room temperature depends also on the type of room. For example, the bedroom temperature should be different from the dining room temperature. For a dining room, the right temperature is 20-22 C (69-72 F) while for a bedroom, the ideal temperature should be in the range of 16-19 C (60-66 F).

Outline

Thermal comfort is a complex topic and depends on several factors. You may require warmer temperatures in winter and a cold room in summer. Your actual recorded temperature may vary from time to time, but you should observe ideal temperatures according to your age, type of room, gender and other environmental barriers. The installation of a digital thermostat can help immensely.

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