Why 78 degrees isn’t the right thermostat setting for everyone during a heat wave

According to The Conversation, engineering and energy policy researcher Destenie Nock learned this personally when her daughter got sick in an overheated bedroom. She argues that the widely recommended seventy-eight-degree thermostat setting isn't right for every household—every home varies in insulation and sun exposure, and so do the people in them. Infants and seniors may need cooler spaces to stay safe. Instead of fixating on one temperature, Nock suggests blocking heat with curtains, using fans below ninety degrees, taking cool showers, or visiting community cooling centers. The right temperature, she says, is whatever keeps your household healthy while remaining affordable.

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