looks like global warming started kinda early this winter (temperatures, days, storm)

[Weatherfan2]

It would be interesting to see 16°C / 61°F happen here in the UK in December again, it's happened in the past on a few occasions.

I remember in the February of 1998, when I lived in Windsor, nearby Heathrow airport recorded some 19°C / 66°F that month - quite amazing for the latitude and time of year really. Of course, everywhere had the milder weather but that area generally cops the best of it.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by ben86

27C at night, really? I don't have a thermostat in my flat but that'd be way too warm for me to sleep in. I'd say my bedroom is 17C at night if that at the moment. Not ideal, but comfortable enough with extra sheets.

Yeah but you're English.

I do find it quite warm for indoors for sleeping, but I like that.
As a summer daytime high, I find 27 C only "tepid" or "luke-warm" in the shade.
27 C indoors may be comparable to 29-30 C outdoors.

[Weatherfan2]

In my house we're lucky if it can stay above 20°C at night, even in summer. I think it happened on a few times in July, during the year's warmest temperatures. Heating is now timed to be on about 5:00pm - 11:00pm, then again for an hour in the morning, around when we would get up 07:00 - 08:00 and that usually nudges the temperature up to about 20 degrees.

Back when I used to live in a flat, it was a building which got pretty warm in the summer, the temperature would frequently be 26-27°C in there overnight. Didn't mind it at all.

[ben86]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Yeah but you're English.

I do find it quite warm for indoors for sleeping, but I like that.
As a summer daytime high, I find 27 C only "tepid" or "luke-warm" in the shade.
27 C indoors may be comparable to 29-30 C outdoors.

For it to be 27C indoors in your winter climate your insulation must be unbelievably good or you'd have massive heating bills - which one? I used to live in an apartment block in Germany which didn't seem to need any more heating at -20C than it did at +5C it was so well insulated, AND it never got too hot in 30C August weather without A/C. Very impressive.

[nei]

Originally Posted by ben86

27C at night, really? I don't have a thermostat in my flat but that'd be way too warm for me to sleep in. I'd say my bedroom is 17C at night if that at the moment. Not ideal, but comfortable enough with extra sheets.

Eh. About half the nights last summer it was about 27C inside when I went to bed. Well maybe more like 25-26 as it cooled off a bit, though I'm sure 27 happened as well. I slept with no sheets and a fan blowing on.

To the same English person I told about how cold it was in January, I mentioned it was too hot to sleep with sheets and asked if that happened to him sometimes summer. And he said oh often in the summer it's warm to sleep without sheets. Didn't seem to get the idea of it being too hot for sheets.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by ben86

For it to be 27C indoors in your winter climate your insulation must be unbelievably good or you'd have massive heating bills - which one?

I used to live in an apartment block in Germany which didn't seem to need any more heating at -20C than it did at +5C it was so well insulated, AND it never got too hot in 30C August weather without A/C. Very impressive.

Actually the heating isn't set that high in winter, normally 21-22 C though I would prefer 25-26 C.

Depends.
We have no trouble keeping our house at 22 C when it's -22 C outside in a cold snap,
so what's the difference it if was -12 C outside and 27 C inside?

We have enough insulation it seems to take about 3 days to equilize to changing outdoor temps,
whether 5+ C hotter or cooler in summer. So if it's been 23-26 C and then it hits 30-32 C for one to two days
it can easily stay below 27-28 C if we want it to by keeping windows closed.
Same thing if highs switch to 18-20 C and our house starts off at 25-26 C.
The first day after the snap it might drop to 23-24 C.
Second day might be 21-22 C indoors.

*Which is why I don't find those temps bad, but their building construction might be not that great.

[Stumbler.]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Yeah but you're English.

I do find it quite warm for indoors for sleeping, but I like that.
As a summer daytime high, I find 27 C only "tepid" or "luke-warm" in the shade.
27 C indoors may be comparable to 29-30 C outdoors.

I wonder if room temperature preferences actually vary by country.

Once a university student on exchange from a tropical country told me that he thought that North American room temps in the low 20s Celsius were a bit low and that mid 20s were what he thought of as "typical".

[nei]

Originally Posted by Stumbler.

I wonder if room temperature preferences actually vary by country.

Once a university student on exchange from a tropical country told me that he thought that North American room temps in the low 20s Celsius were a bit low and that mid 20s were what he thought of as "typical".

I prefer mid 20s in the summer and find low 20s too cold. I adjust a bit with the seasons.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by Stumbler.

I wonder if room temperature preferences actually vary by country.
Once a university student on exchange from a tropical country told me that he thought that North American room temps in the low 20s Celsius were a bit low and that mid 20s were what he thought of as "typical".

Probably family preferences and individual's genetics too.
Our house is usually 26-27 C (78-80 F) most of the summer,
and if the humidity is low, we let it hit 28 C (82/83 F) with the windows open.
Everyone in our house was born and raised in Canada.

My neighbours,
their A/C never shuts off when we think it's perfect to leave the windows open.
I hear their A/C run intermittantly until we think it's actually cold-for-summer, outside...
then they leave their windows wide-open.

I find North America's standard for 72 F/22 C indoors annoying in summer, if I'm not already hot.
(shopping malls, restaurants, movie theatres etc.)

I bring long pants and sometimes a sweater to change into, if I go see a movie when it's 33 C/92 F outside.

[Stumbler.]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Probably family preferences and individual's genetics too.

I find it quite surprising how variable preferences are. I mean, just in this thread it seems that people's comfort ranges from at least 17 C to 27 C, which is about 10C.

It's amazing that we even manage to agree on a consensus for public places.

I'm read that compared to our temperate climes, people in cities in the tropics usually set slightly higher room temps (whether it's to save money, or because they're used to it, I'm not sure), and I've also heard that for instance, women on average like it warmer than men (there's a bit of a stereotype with the wife thinking it's too chilly in the house and wanting to turn up the thermostat).

But I do agree with you that it seems to be individualistic or at least familial preference that's not easy to predict or generalize.

For instance, I recall once on lunch break in summer, when it was around 28 C or so, a co-worker who came to Toronto from central India only a few years earlier told me it was way too hot out and that we should go back indoors where it's nice and cool. She said she was used to our climate by now.

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

I find North America's standard for 72 F/22 C indoors annoying in summer, if I'm not already hot.
(shopping malls, restaurants, movie theatres etc.)

I bring long pants and sometimes a sweater to change into, if I go see a movie when it's 33 C/92 F outside.

I agree with this completely as well. It seems most Torontonians are so eager for summer to arrive after a long winter, begging for it by March/April, and then as soon as it arrives in June, they complain that it's a scorcher, crank out the A/C, and beg for the heat to be over. Then, by mid to late September, when it's cool enough to need indoor heat, they start bundling up outside and lament "Where did summer go!". Well, at least that's the general impression I get.