The influence of temperature on our well-being is enormous. Efficient work, proper sleep, good mood – the thermal conditions of the used rooms affect all this. What temperature prevails in the house determines how we feel.
What’s more, the proper thermal balance of houses and apartments supports the health of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and determines a person’s vital energy. Thermal comfort in homes that are neither overheated nor cooled to excessively low temperatures reduces our incidence of upper respiratory infections.
In addition to good ventilation, plenty of daylight, adequate humidity, and proper sleeping conditions, thermal balance is a key feature of a comfortable home. Why is this the case?
Because the home is the closest environment to humans, a place to “recharge the batteries.” In recent years, we also work at home, so our social and psychological functioning depends on the conditions inside. It is no longer just about thermal comfort, but about the comfort of everyday life.
In other words, when the temperature of a room is adjusted to its function – appropriate in the living room, bathroom, bedroom, etc. – we feel better and use our home space more efficiently. What temperature we set in the rooms depends on our needs.
An unfavorable microclimate in buildings lowers not only the well-being of adults but also the mental and physical condition of children, who are more likely to fall ill and learn less well.
Added to this is the change in our lifestyles. We spend less and less time outdoors and more time in buildings, where we relax and lead social and professional lives.
Our lifestyles have changed compared to at least the last century. The fact is that we spend considerably more time indoors than we used to. The temperature of the interiors must necessarily affect us to a similar degree as the weather or atmospheric conditions; it aids or hinders natural activity. Staying in our homes for long hours – for days – we should ensure that their microclimate is as favorable to us as possible.
It is necessary to start with the fact that the temperature in domestic interiors should be tailored to the individual needs of the residents. However, certain rules apply to everyone.
The thermal comfort of interiors is governed by its laws and is closely related to the physiology of the human body. It is worth knowing the golden mean. On the one hand, low temperatures (believed to be below 18℃) cause the body to cool down, decrease efficiency, and be more prone to infections. On the other hand, the temperature of usable rooms above 21℃ causes our respiratory tract mucous membranes and conjunctiva to start drying out, which also reduces resistance to infection and creates conditions for the development of allergies, and asthma. Overheating also promotes impaired concentration, increased sweating (that is, loss of electrolytes), and even cardiac problems.
What temperature is optimal? In a living room/office, it’s about 20℃. At such heating parameters, we generally feel best, are most focused, full of vigor, and therefore productive. Temperatures above 21℃ (up to 25℃) will work well in the bathroom while bathing.
In the kitchen, as a rule, the temperature should be lower than in the living room (the room where we most often stay), since we systematically reheat it by cooking meals. 19℃ is the optimal temperature here.
Precise control over the temperature of all home rooms (zone control) also has another dimension – ecological and economic. We like to know that our home does not pollute nature, and we appreciate the fact that it saves money in the household budget. These factors also raise the prestige and improve the social rating of households.
Sleep is a basic physiological need of the body, without which a person is unable to function properly. Therefore, the temperature of the room in which we sleep is another important aspect of the subject.
Regenerative sleep is at a premium – it restores energy, and helps avoid illness – but its hygiene requires the right conditions.
What affects healthy sleep?
– room temperature
– a ventilated bedroom
– proper shade
– decor that promotes tranquility
It is assumed that the ideal temperature for sleep is 17-19 ℃, which is lower than for the activities we undertake during the day. The bedroom should be noticeably cooler than the living room.
It is worth keeping this in mind because by overheating the room where we sleep, we force the body to activate the thermoregulation mechanism. Blood circulation increases and the body becomes doused with sweat. Concentrating on constant cooling, our body does not rest as it should. We sleep shallowly, restlessly. In the morning, we wake up weakened, with reduced reflexes and little desire to act. But it’s not only “greenhouse” conditions that reduce the quality of sleep. Adverse effects also occur in the opposite situation. When the bedroom is too cold, we wake up frozen, with a runny nose and sore throat.
Although the indicated temperature values for each room in the house seem universal and well-averaged, the optimal temperature for working, bathing, and sleeping for everyone may be different. The sensation of heat is a very individual issue.
The sensation of temperature can be affected by everything: age, gender, health, emotions, our mood on a given day. For this reason, in order to adjust the work of heating to ourselves, it is worth equipping the house with modern control systems.
Room temperature controllers, control strips, actuators, intelligent radiator heads – these are the devices that provide the greatest control over heating parameters. They will keep an eye on what temperature prevails in the house.
Recall, among the housing conditions that affect human health and well-being, the most important are air quality, temperature and humidity.
We can positively influence all these factors by investing in modern home automation.
ENGO Controls heating control systems make it easy to change heating parameters depending on the time of day, the activity of the occupants, or the purpose of the room. They also allow us to limit heating in unused rooms or lower the temperature in rooms when we are away from home for a long time, which translates into lower heating fuel consumption.
Temperature controllers and other components of control systems are very flexible. Individual control of room temperature allows us to easily and quickly influence the climate of the house: where we need it is warmer, and where we need it is cooler.
However, in a situation where our needs suddenly change – for example, we want it to be warmer in the bedroom, not the living room, because we have a cold and are lying in bed – with a click on the mobile app we change the existing settings. The control algorithms will adjust the temperature to the new indications.
Why is heating control a solution without which a house cannot be economical and modern?
Because only through intelligent control of the heating system we gain:
– reduction of heating costs
– adjustment of temperature to the function of the rooms and the current needs of the user
– convenient regulation of devices with easy-to-use controllers, Internet applications
– possibility of automatic management of the operation of boilers, pumps
– activation and management of the heating system also outside the house (via the Internet)
– lower emissions of harmful components into the atmosphere
In summary, intelligent heating control systems bring homeowners only benefits. Temperature distribution adapted to the lifestyle and needs of the body is beneficial for us in every dimension: health, psychological, social.