British households keep their homes cooler indoors than their continental neighbours, according to a survey from thermostat specialist tado°.
Despite the colder conditions outdoors, the average indoor temperature across the UK in winter is 16.72°C, more than 1°C below the WHO-recommended 18°C benchmark, the firm said. This places the UK at the bottom of Europe rankings for indoor temperatures, indicating lower average demand for heating.
The UK’s lower average indoor temperature reflects a 9% reduction in heating demand, before any insulation or efficiency improvements are taken into account, when calculated on European Commission guidance that each 1°C change in indoor temperature is associated with a c7% change in heating use.
The survey found that despite colder outdoor temperatures in winter, indoor heating habits in the UK remain relatively restrained, the firm said:
Countries in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, including Denmark, Finland, Hungary and Slovakia, record average indoor temperatures at or above 20°C, while the UK sits well below that level.”
The difference in heating behaviour between the UK and Europe’s warmest countries now approaches 25%, illustrating how relatively small thermostat choices can translate into large differences in heating use, tado° said.
Even in southern European countries such as Spain, Italy and France, where winter weather is typically milder, average indoor temperatures tend to sit closer to, or above, the benchmark, showing that climate alone does not determine how people heat their homes.
No region in the UK reaches the 18°C benchmark. Even London, the warmest region, averages 17.54°C, while much of the country runs considerably cooler.
The manufacturer said that the UK’s comparatively low indoor temperatures reflect a combination of long-standing economic, structural and cultural factors:
- A cultural tendency to heat sparingly
- Older, leakier housing stock, which is harder and more expensive to heat efficiently
- Behavioural changes adopted during recent winters that appear to have persisted
- Heightened awareness of energy use during colder months
With heating and hot water accounting for around 79% of household energy use, indoor temperature remains one of the most important drivers of household energy demand, the firm said.
The manufacturer noted that the aim should not be colder homes, but smarter, more efficient heating and that on average, tado° customers reduce heating costs by 22%. This, it said was due to features such as: room-by-room control; smart schedules and geofencing; AI-driven heating optimisation; and open-window detection.
Christian Deilmann, Co-founder and Managing Director at tado° said:
The numbers show that small differences in comfort can have a large impact. Our goal is to help households understand how heating choices affect heating costs so they can. make informed decisions. Whether it’s saving money, cutting energy waste or staying cosy, people can choose what matters most to them – and smart control makes it easier to do all three.”
