Room Temperature

It's okay if you need a reminder where the thermostat in your house is these days.

Chances are you've not heard the roar of your furnace or the hum of your AC unit in quite some time. The weather the past 3 months has been absolutely perfect to maintain home comfort.

We are nearing the end of a stretch where daily temperatures have been ideal for keeping the temperatures inside our homes at peak comfort. In fact, the only day you likely used air conditioning since late June was about 6 weeks ago, on August 14th when temperatures hit 90 in the metro. The last time your furnace roared to life was likely during the record chilly stretch from June 6th to 8th when highs were in the 50s.

Many people believe 65 to 68 degrees is a perfect temperature for human comfort. Take a look at the average monthly temperatures the past few months.

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September: 69.1 degrees

August: 69.4 degrees

July: 70.0 degrees

June: 67.7 degrees

These monthly averages wouldn't mean much if they were derived though extremes. You could have days around 90 days near 50 and still average around 69 degrees; but your furnace and AC unit would be working overtime.

The remarkable thing about this summer is that daily temperatures have been fairly consistent, with a comfortable overall temperature range. In September so far, daily high temperatures have been in a range between 70 and 84 degrees. Lows have ranged between 51 and 65. If you managed your windows right, you've enjoyed free air conditioning all month.

Heating and cooling data is calculated by degree days. Basically, any day with an average temperature above 65 degrees requires cooling, and anything below 65 degrees requires heat. So far in September the Twin Cities has racked up a whopping 5 heating degree days. That's the reason your furnace is feeling neglected.

Enjoy the comfortable temperatures through the weekend. It looks like you'll have to remember where your furnace is next week.

PH