Due to many int’l situations, heating bills everywhere have been climbing.
Night temp of 61-63.5F/16-17.5C & day temp of 63.5-68F/17.5-20C seem common.
But isn’t this issue really around transparency on both sides?
Unfair for HOs to demand after a sitter arrives that temps be kept unreasonably low.
Equally unfair for a Sitter to crank up the temps 24/7 to levels they don’t need: if going out for 3-4 hours, lower the temp! If sleeping, why have the house set high?
Maybe there needs to be a spot in the Welcome Guide about heating settings.
As with most things, it’s about consideration & fairness.
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I don’t have much faith in guidance influencing some people, who are just selfish or irresponsible. I bet you, I and most people don’t need rules to not abuse heating or cooling, simply because we have common sense and courtesy. Like THS offers checklists to hosts and sitters for how to leave homes and yet some people apparently don’t care, and many of us don’t need a THS checklist and yet manage to leave homes clean with each sit.
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I had that in my house too. I’m not sure if my tolerance for cold is because of that, or if my family’s tolerance for cold made it bearable (my whole family runs hot). Those circumstances were driven by financial needs though - I had a single mom trying to heat an old house with expensive oil in the '70s.
I just accept that my utilities will skyrocket during any sits in the winter.
Were just not doing any sits,sadly.
Thankfully, haven’t run into this yet. Everyone’s bodies run different, some feel cold more some less. HOs need to be flexible within reason. Also, there are health conditions that are negatively impacted by the cold. For example, Raynaud’s syndrome that turns a person’s fingers purple with risk to frostbite if the person gets too cold.
We always ask the HOs what temperature they leave their heat at and so far it’s been a reasonable temperature. If it wasn’t, we’d ask them to up it a little during our stay. We also dress warmer in colder months so to combat the cold.
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It goes without saying people would dress warmer in Winter. If they dont? Serves them right,theyll feel cold and have no right to complain. However,when a house is at 7 deg in the middle of the night and you need the loo…its awful. I’m a pet sitter not a goulag inmate ! I dont need to sit for 2 weeks in the cold. If it was my pet and home I’d draw the line at 24 deg ma…(but not 24/7.) And nights would be max 14. Electric blankies supplied.
Id be mortified if any guest of mine was cold.
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I sat in Scotland during December and my host was great. Showed me the thermostat and gave me an electric blanket and other warm linens. I declined use of a wood stove.
I kept the thermostat low overnight or when I went out and set it at 17 max during the day when home, wearing layers and slippers. Sometimes I’d throw my coat on for say 10 minutes and warm up enough to avoid boosting the heat, which could end up overheating things.
Didn’t have to boost the heat or heat unused parts of the house. Slept with her warm and cuddly dog.
Apparently the bill was fine, because she invited me back for two sits, though I couldn’t make it.
The following year, I sat in Seattle during a bad storm. Before they left, my hosts showed me the thermostat and said stay warm. Slept with their cuddly cats. I ended up making sure their plumbing didn’t freeze. Also invited back to sit there.
If not for hosts like these, I’d rather stay comfortably home during the winter. Or do nonsit travel. Leave hosts who can’t afford reasonable heat for sitters to figure out alternative care or stay at home instead of traveling. Why pay our own way to stay at a cold or freezing home to voluntarily take care of pets?
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We’ve been living in southern Spain for 8 years now and I was so shocked at how cold it was at night during our first winter. Central heating is rare and inefficient. All the bedrooms now have aircon that can be set to heat. There are electric blankets on the beds, warm duvets and an extra blanket if needed. Heater and a heated towel rail in the bathroom. There is a wood burner in the living room but we’ve found that bringing the infra red patio heater in is much better (and less messy) at keeping us warm. It’s only for a few months and we cope but houses here are designed to lose heat and stay cool in the baking summer months. Layers are the way forward, sitting by the pool in a t-shirt in the day and then putting on a jumper when you go inside!
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Makes sense to make do if you opt to live in such settings, but for sitters, they can just choose sits somewhere warmer or not sit in such a place during cool weather if the host can’t provide enough heating. You might get people willing to sit, but hosts should be upfront about that in their listing, to save everyone time.
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I am currently on a winter UK (New Forest) sit in the most cosy, warm home that I’ve ever stayed in. In fact, I’ve not really packed the right clothes (jumpers mainly!) and I had to warn yesterday’s dinner guests (the HOs suggestion) to dress for a hot home.
It’s a real treat after a freezing cold sit over Christmas, and goes to show that warm sits are possible.
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We have found Heat Pumps are an issue; we found many homes with them on installed in older, poorly insulated homes. Clearly were totally inadequate in keeping the house warm.
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I had to laugh. I was brought up in the 60s in an old farmhouse. There was ice on the INSIDE of the window most mornings. Our heating was an Aga in the kitchen and a coal fire in the sitting room. 14C was a balmy summer day.
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If the temperature is important to the sitter surely there should be some research done before applying for the sit. Research the outside temperature of where you are going. Look at the average monthly temperature for that time of year. ASK the host what sort of heating they have, how it is controlled. If you are coming from a hotter/colder country explain you may have to adjust the heat and ask how that is done. If you are extremely worried, offer to pay the difference in the fuel bill from last year. (The host will be so embarrassed they’ll refuse to let you do that).
Yet again, communicate people.
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It is not really relevant. Here in Sweden it is a bit cold on average in January, but normal homes have decent insulation. The health authority recommends between 20 and 24 C. So 20 C is a recommended minimum. Long periods below 18 C are really not permitted in rental housing, would entitle the inhabitants to withhold rent.
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To me it’s relevant. If it’s cold outside the house needs efficient heating so it’s something I ask about. If it’s very hot outside the house needs efficient air condition so I ask. And I bring appropriate clothing.
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I don’t really think researching the outdoor temperature is helpful. It’s -16 C / 3 F where I am right now and we heat our homes to a comfortable temperature. I wouldn’t expect to go to a warmer climate and be freezing in the house.
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We’re starting a sit soon in a house from 1850. Obviously there are stoves in every room. We’ll see. 
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My current U.S. sit: Nice and comfortable, despite a cold front.
My host told me that they usually keep the temp at X, but I should set it at what I feel comfortable. They also run their gas fireplace most waking hours, which the cats love. And they leave some windows slightly open (because they want some fresh air), but I should open or close them as I see fit.
First thing I did when they left was close the windows.
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Why not? It all depends on the heating system and what the host and their family are comfortable with.
Please remember we are guests dipping into other peoples lives. We cannot expect all our requirements to be fulfilled. As I stated before, if heating, or cooling is important to you it’s best to communicate with the host about it. Communication can solve a lot of the problems.
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Im glad you had a laugh.
We were brought up in the 60s. One coal fire. No aga. Does that mean in your 70s you can just sit and freeze. ? We live in the scottish highlands too. So we know all about the cold. .