It was 48 degrees Fahrenheit (8.8 C) outside this morning and 70F (21C) in the house. Grandma was cold with a long sleeve t-shirt and sweatshirt and slacks on, plus socks. I had lightweight long sleeved clothes on and was cool, but I didn't mind.
I HATE the heat! I usually have the downstairs at around 64-66F in the winter with the upstairs around 68. I obviously can't do that with Grandma there, but I don't know at what temperature I should have it. I know it was around 75 in assisted living and the same-ish at her house (it was drafty so it varied by room).
I've been trying to adjust the vents so all the heat is going downstairs, but that's not working so well. I'm also concerned with the dry air if I turn the heat up. Even with it below 68, it was very dry in here. I don't have anywhere for a big humidifier and those little ones aren't going to cut it. I may end up having to get two heaters for the Living room and Grandma's bedroom. I don't want to, but I don't want to dry out and burn up.
So any suggestions as to what temperature I should set the thermostat? Also, any suggestions on portable heaters that are cheap to run?
I also run a humidifier in the winter, (not because of the heat but because my air exchanger draws dry winter air into the house and expels the more humid interior air) a large whole house unit doesn't really take much space.
I bet Grandma's hands feel like ice, imagine how painful that must be for her. Try setting the temp at 72 during the day. And buy those table top humidifiers which do work quite well. Honeywell makes a really nice one which is very easy to fill without having to take the unit over to the sink. We have two of them in the house, and no more sparking when petting a cat :)
And if that feels warm to you, then time to get out the summer clothes. You and Grandma needs to compromise. My parents had the heat up to 78-80, so it felt like walking into a rain forest at their house.
I think 75 is a fine temperature for older people. Trouble is that a lot of elders want to heat the house instead of putting on something warmer. If my mother is cold I tell her to put on a robe. Then when she says it is too hot, I tell her to take it off.
Having your part of the house upstairs makes it harder, since the heat rises. What I do about humidity in winter is run three humidifiers. The Vicks Cool Mist puts out a lot of water, but is chilly if you're in its past. The warm mist ones don't put out quite as much but won't make you cold. I use the cool mist one in an area that my mother doesn't spend much time in.
When MIL lived with us, she needed the house much, much warmer than we were used to. We got her an electric heater to supplement in the room she was in, an electric blanket for her bed (and I would settle it over her lap when she moved to sit on the couch). We also put an electric oil heater in the bathroom close to the toilet to keep that area warmer, and we put the thermostat up a good 10 to 15 degrees higher than we normally did, plus turned it on 6 weeks earlier than usual.
I was not ever able to get her to modify her dressing habits - so while she was "freezing" she probably had bare feet, light weight pants (or no pants *sigh*) and a t-shirt on.
She still complained that she was freezing, and heaven help us when she left her room and ventured to the bathroom or kitchen - you would think we were trying to freeze her on purpose to hear her talk. We just kept explaining that with an old drafty farm house we were not going to be able to keep it warm enough, we could do our best to keep her one room warm and keep the thermostat higher so the house was warmer than usual. But we were never going to be able to achieve the 78 to 82 degrees that she had at her house.
I guess for us, we figured we needed to make her comfortable first, and we could figure out how to live with it (and pay for it, LOL) after that. It's hard because their bodies are cold and you hate to see someone in such discomfort, but at the same time - the heat takes its toll on the rest of the family. There are just no "right" answers, only what compromise works best for you.
Good luck!
My mom's AL apartment was always hot in the winter. Her thermostat was set as low as it could go, but she got the sun all day.
If someone is cold at night while trying to sleep, a pair of light weight socks will help keep someone warm. Flannel sheets are toasty warm, but a real bear if one is wearing flannel pj's, it's hard to turn over :P