What temperature should you heat each room to?

Start with a warm, healthy home. Adjust the controls around the people living there.

The answer in 2 lines. England's winter health guidance, updated in 2026, recommends trying to keep frequently used rooms at least 18°C, while choosing a temperature that is comfortable for you. This is a health recommendation, not a universal thermostat setting or a household maximum. Older people and those with health conditions may need more warmth. Use a room thermometer, adjust heating controls to suit occupancy and deal with draughts without blocking ventilation. If adequate heating is unaffordable or the system cannot keep rooms warm, seek support rather than repeatedly lowering the temperature.

The first steps

Measure where you spend time. Put a room thermometer away from direct radiator heat, sunlight and draughts. Compare the reading with how the room feels.
Identify the controls. Find the room thermostat, heating programme and radiator controls. Use their instructions; a numbered radiator-valve setting is not a reliable room-temperature reading.
Adjust for your household. Consider health, mobility, clothing and when rooms are occupied. Check comfort after a change rather than chasing the lowest possible setting.

Stop: danger

Suspected hypothermia: confusion, slurred speech or slow breathing in someone who is very cold can be an emergency. Call 999 if you suspect hypothermia. The NHS hypothermia page explains the signs and what to do while waiting for help.
Warmth must remain safe. Do not improvise heating arrangements or use equipment contrary to its instructions because a room feels cold.

Room by room: useful starting points

Room	How to approach it
Living room or home office	Use the at-least-18°C health recommendation as a starting point, then check comfort while sitting still.
Adult bedroom	Consider health and bedding as well as the thermometer; vulnerable people may need at least 18°C overnight.
Baby's sleeping room	Follow safer-sleep guidance and match clothing and bedding to the temperature.
Bathroom	Choose comfortable warmth for use; there is no single official bathroom setting in the guidance reviewed.
Little-used room	Consider damp, frost protection and the needs of anyone using it before reducing heating.

People matter more than a standard setting

The Met Office's winter warmth advice explains that health, age and activity affect suitable temperatures. Read its room-temperature section when deciding whether a cooler bedroom is appropriate; do not apply advice for a healthy, active adult to someone frail or unwell.

For babies, the NHS safer-sleep page explains bedding and sleeping-bag choices, including guidance referring to room temperatures of 16–20°C. Read the clothing and overheating advice together rather than treating the range as a reason to add heavy bedding.

What not to do

Turning the thermostat up sharply every time the heating starts, without checking the actual room temperature.
Covering radiators or trapping their warmth behind furniture and long curtains.
Blocking permanent ventilation to stop draughts.
Assuming a fixed percentage saving for every degree you turn down: the result depends on the home, weather and heating.

Improve comfort before making further reductions

Look for a pattern: is the whole home cold, one room colder, or warmth disappearing quickly after the heating stops? Keep a simple note of room readings, heating times and where you feel draughts. This helps distinguish a control issue from a problem needing investigation.

Keep heat emitters clear and use curtains without covering them. Review draughts around doors while keeping designed ventilation open. The 2026 guidance for England includes practical warmth measures and financial-support links. Read its support section if cost is driving unsafe reductions.

If the heating cannot keep your rented home warm

Tell your landlord in writing about faulty heating, recording the affected rooms and any damp. Ask for investigation and a repair plan. The GOV.UK repairs page explains heating responsibilities and escalation.

If unresolved conditions may harm health, use the official council finder: enter your postcode, open your council's website and look for environmental health or private rented housing. Explain the heating problem and provide your records. Housing procedures differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Good to know

The public-health temperature recommendation is not a universal legal maximum for English homes.
Ask for advice suited to the person if illness, disability or limited mobility affects their ability to stay warm.
Keep room-temperature settings separate from hot-water storage settings; they serve different purposes.

Illustrative example: A household notices that the sitting room feels cold despite a comfortable hallway thermostat reading. They measure the sitting room, clear furniture from the radiator and record the heating pattern. When it remains cold, they arrange an assessment instead of assuming everyone should tolerate the same thermostat setting.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the 2026 English winter health recommendation and NHS emergency and safer-sleep advice; medium for choosing individual room settings, which depend on health and the property. No universal saving per degree or official temperature for every room was established.