Winter is known for being the coldest season of the year. Especially in areas prone to super low temps, those winter temperatures can cause your house to lose warmth in certain conditions. But how fast can temperatures really drop in your home?
How fast temperature drops in a house in winter can be determined by factors like power outages, poor insulation, and a dysfunctional thermostat system. Each of these factors contributes to the speed at which a temperature drops in a house during winter.
The rest of this article will tell you everything you need to know about the household temperature differences that winter can bring, so you can be better informed and better prepared. Keep reading to learn more.
How Winter Can Affect Your Household Temperatures
As I mentioned before, different conditions can affect how fast your household temperature can drop during winter.
Here are some of the most significant of these conditions:
- Power outages
- Poor insulation
- A broken thermostat
The following sections will dive deeper into what each of these factors means in terms of lowering your household’s temperature during the colder months of the year. Let’s take a look.
1. Power Outages Cause Temperatures To Drop
Power outages cause temperatures to drop if you rely on power to heat your home.
On average, your house will stay warm for the first eight hours after a power outage.
However, this means that after about eight to 12 hours, the overall temperature of your home will take a gradual decline and become colder over the next few hours or even days.
This gradual temperature decline can be slowed if you have good insulation.
Unfortunately, this means that having bad insulation will cause it to speed up because your house isn’t as good at retaining heat.
Luckily, there are some ways to keep your house warm during a power outage– even in an unforgiving winter.
Here are some tips on how to keep temperatures from dropping after a power outage:
- Dress in multiple layers of clothing. While this solution may seem like a given, it’s actually a super helpful tip because wearing layers can help insulate your body and maintain your own body heat.
- Bundle up in blankets. This is another great way to retain body heat and keep yourself warm. In case of a power outage, you may want to invest in emergency blankets like these Swiss Safe Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets (available on Amazon.com) for their advanced heat-retaining technology and affordable price.
- Utilize wood-burning stoves and fireplaces to generate heat. In a power outage, your regular heating system will not work. This means that you have to utilize fireplaces and other fire-based heating systems to generate enough heat to stay comfortable.
- Keep doors closed. Closing unused doors around the house can help keep each individual room better insulated.
- Use camping gear like tents, sleeping bags, and winter coats. This is a great way to stay warm because most camping gear is made specifically with good insulation in mind. Lots of modern camping equipment uses heat-retaining technology to ensure that your body stays warm out in nature. However, you can enjoy their benefits indoors as well.
2. Poor Insulation Allows Warmth To Leak
Another reason why your house temperatures may drop in winter is poor house insulation.
Household insulation increases heat flow resistance by filling gaps in your house with materials such as fibreglass, other natural fibrous materials, and foil.
To put it simply, insulation minimizes heat leaks in your home and promotes the heat’s ability to flow throughout your house while staying trapped inside.
Insulation is vital because temperatures can drop significantly without it, especially during winter.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to keep your home insulated, even when the structural insulation is less adequate.
One thing you can do is block draft-prone areas such as the base of doors and windows with clothes, towels, or blankets.
This helps trap the heat inside and prevents drafts from entering the house.
Another thing you can do to block drafty areas is to invest in a blocker for your door.
I recommend this MAXTID Door Draft Blocker (on Amazon.com) for its easy adhesive-based installation, efficiency, and low cost.
In addition to keeping breezes from entering your home, a draft blocker can also block dust, sound, and water.
3. Broken Thermostat System
A broken thermostat system is another factor that plays a significant role in the decrease of your home’s overall temperature in winter.
A thermostat is a device that regulates both heating and cooling systems within a particular space.
These devices are great for keeping your house warm during harsh winter conditions.
However, this also means that temperatures can drop when they’re not functioning correctly.
If your thermostat is broken, you can expect your household’s temperature to drop the same way it would with a power outage.
After about eight to 12 hours, your temperatures will gradually decrease.
You can combat this decrease like you would combat a power outage.
However, there are some other things you can do if your thermostat is broken but you still have power.
If your thermostat isn’t functioning properly, you should consider bringing out a space heater or purchasing one if you don’t already have one in your home.
Space heaters are devices you can plug into an electrical outlet and use to heat up small areas of your home.
I recommend this Portable Electric Space Heater (on Amazon.com) because it comes with a thermostat, and it’s exceptionally affordable compared to other space heaters.
You can adjust the settings up to 158 °F (70 °C), but it also comes with built-in safety features to prevent overheating and fire hazards.
However, space heaters aren’t reliable for long-term use.
If you think that your thermostat is broken, you should contact a professional to help you fix it.
Conclusion
Different conditions can cause your house to drop during the winter after experiencing about eight to 12 hours on average without an active heating system.
However, the rate at which your household temperature drops is determined by factors such as power outages, insufficient insulation, and broken thermostat systems.
Fortunately, we discussed many tips and tools you can utilize to stay warm during the winter.
Hopefully, these tips will help you and your family stay as healthy as possible during the colder parts of the year.
Cheers, tools owners!
