What Temperature Do You Keep Your House?

Decorating By HoHo5 Updated 6 Aug 2010 , 11:07am by Barb00

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HoHo5 Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 5:51pm
post #1 of 32

when decorating cakes what temperature do you keep your houses?
it's awful hot so i was wondering what the right temp would be so my cake stand up okay!

31 replies
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sandy1 Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 5:55pm
post #2 of 32

I have my air conditioner set at 74 degrees. I haven't had any problems with the cakes or icing. HTH

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sillywabbitz Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 6:09pm
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I keep my house at 78..it's hot and that is high and it almost killed my last cake. As the fondant started to sag (I think because the buttercream was melting) I cranked the AC down to 74. It survived the night so that was good.

But for fondant cakes from now on I'll stick to ganache. It tends to hold so much better. I just cant' afford to keep my house that cold in Texas when we're on our 12 day of 100 degrees or higher.

And for buttercream I can just stick them in the fridge.

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deah Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 6:17pm
post #4 of 32

My house stays at 76 unless I'm working with fondant and then I cool it down to 72.

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vagostino Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 6:52pm
post #5 of 32

78, can't afford to cool an open floor plan lower than that!

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tesso Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 7:07pm
post #6 of 32

a constant 73 degrees year around.

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frogcooke Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 8:56pm
post #7 of 32

mines on an off hot. depending on the day and the ac. I cant keep the thing running 24/7. in the summer its gotten anywhere between 76-mid 80's.

the kitchen and dining are usually warmer because those are the last rooms the ac gets to cooling :/ Its actually 77 at the moment because ive had the ac most of the day and its not overly hot, its 75 out. lol

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mamawrobin Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 10:53pm
post #8 of 32

I keep mine cold. icon_lol.gif My thermostat is set on 70 degrees today because our temperature is about 110 with humidity to match. I will do without a new pair of shoes all summer if I have to in order to pay the bill. It's worth every penny to me to stay cool. thumbs_up.gif

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AnnieCahill Posted 5 Aug 2010 , 11:24pm
post #9 of 32

68!

Call me crazy, but I'm fat and I don't like to be hot and sweaty in my own house. LOL!

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Texas_Rose Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:18am
post #10 of 32

I keep it between 71 and 73. If I keep it any cooler, my pets don't do well, and if I keep it any warmer, my husband complains.

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Peridot Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:22am
post #11 of 32

I am like Mamawrobin and AnnieCahill.

We have two zone heating/cooling and we keep the living area at 69-70 degrees and the bedrooms are always at 67. I don't like it hot and humid in my house. When I go to bed I want to use the covers and I love it that way.

I live in Wisconsin but it feels like "down south" this year and the humidity is the killer up here. And contrary to what some people say it's not just hot here for a week or two. Yesterday it was 90 with humidity just as high and it's been that way for days. Today is the first day in weeks that there is a breeze from the north and the humidity is down some but it's still 80.

I will cut back on something else before I will cut back on my central air!

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tokazodo Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:30am
post #12 of 32

The head index was over 100* around these parts today.
Where do we set the thermostat?
We set it at the 'Cold Enough to Hang Beef" Setting!

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AnnieCahill Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:31am
post #13 of 32
Quote:
Quote:

I will cut back on something else before I will cut back on my central air!




SO TRUE!

I had this discussion with a lady at work the other day, who keeps her house around 80 (we would never make it). She told me "well I don't believe in giving all my hard earned money to the electric company." I don't view it that way. It's personal comfort. I want to be comfortable in my own home. She thought it was absolutely outrageous that we have our air that low. I think it's outrageous that she wants to sweat in her bed! But if she's comfortable then that's great, but she tells me she has to turn fans on at night to keep it "bearable."

My fiance is a bean pole and he works outside all day, and he would have it snowing in here if the AC unit didn't blow up. But yeah, I belong up north.

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Doug Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:35am
post #14 of 32

summer: not caking -- 78 thanks to ceiling fans in every room.

summer: caking -- 0 -- but with my old poorly insulated house the net effect is about 72.

winter: 68 thanks to long johns and reversible ceiling fans. matters not if caking. tho' if caking, can take off the long johns!

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frogcooke Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:45am
post #15 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieCahill

Quote:
Quote:

I will cut back on something else before I will cut back on my central air!



SO TRUE!

I had this discussion with a lady at work the other day, who keeps her house around 80 (we would never make it). She told me "well I don't believe in giving all my hard earned money to the electric company." I don't view it that way. It's personal comfort. I want to be comfortable in my own home. She thought it was absolutely outrageous that we have our air that low. I think it's outrageous that she wants to sweat in her bed! But if she's comfortable then that's great, but she tells me she has to turn fans on at night to keep it "bearable."

My fiance is a bean pole and he works outside all day, and he would have it snowing in here if the AC unit didn't blow up. But yeah, I belong up north.


See I"m really comfortable at the high 70's-80 range. lolol. Unless its really humid, then i turn the air on to help with that. But 75-80 is my comfort zone. Hubby on the other hand would just assume to have it snowing in the house.

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AnnieCahill Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:47am
post #16 of 32

LOL! I keep hoping that when I lose some weight I'll be able to tolerate the heat better. I seem to be getting worse.

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Texas_Rose Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 12:56am
post #17 of 32

For me it's never been about not wanting the electric company to have my money, it's been worrying about not having the money to give to the electric company!!! When I lived in the apartment, by September I was always behind on my bill and had to go on a payment plan, which I wouldn't finish paying until February. Then by May we were getting the summer heat again. My bill was $250-$300 a month most summer months (from May-October). It was never really cool in the apartment for all that we were paying.

We bought a new house and our electric bills are a little better now...the highest I've seen is $180.

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AnnieCahill Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 1:05am
post #18 of 32

Yeah I can definitely understand that. We live in a townhouse so I think that makes this a tad cheaper for us. We just changed electric companies (not by choice) and now our bill is like $50 more per month. icon_sad.gif

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momma28 Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 1:13am
post #19 of 32

74 degrees. When heat index is super high I will set it lower in the early am so it has a head start and then holds at 74 in the day. Havent had a problem with caking at that temp

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elvisb Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 1:22am
post #20 of 32

Our house is 70 degrees year round. I wouldn't mind a few degrees warmer, and my husband would love it colder, so that's our compromise. Iowa is also very humid in the summer, especially this year, so I don't mind the AC being that low in the summer.

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Kitagrl Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 1:25am
post #21 of 32

We do not own our house and its highly inefficient....an older home....ugh...anyway it doesn't matter what we set it at, it can run all day but on hot days like we've had this summer its still 80 in here in the afternoon and evening.

I keep all my cakes in the fridge....but on the hottest days I still struggle with condensation.

Oh well.

Ideally 75 or below is good for caking....

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ptanyer Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 1:39am
post #22 of 32

We have 3 window a/c units - energy efficient ones. One is in the dining room which opens to the kitchen and also cools the living room and hallway and 1st bedroom. The other 2 are at the other end of the house - 1 in our bedroom and 1 in my office. The 2 at the end of the house are set on energy efficient setting at 70 degrees - which may be adjusted according to what's going on - working, cleaning, sleeping. The large a/c in the dining room is the one that gets changed most often. When I'm baking I set it at 65 and use a fan to blow cooler air into the kitchen. At night we turn it up to 70 and turn on the energy efficient mode. The dining room acts like a huge walk-in cooler when I am working on cakes, so I never have to refrigerate my cakes. Just set them across the room from the a/c and they stay fresh as a daisy icon_wink.gif

With the new energy efficent a/c's our electric bill runs about $180/month - but varies with how hot it is outside - and it seems that this summer has been at least 90 degrees with 100% humidity each day icon_cry.gif BTW - 2 of our a/c started dying in the last month icon_cry.gif The largest one was in it's last year of warranty and my DH (truly a D right now) got Lowes to replace it completely. We ended up with a unit smaller in size but bigger in BTU - so lucked out completely icon_cool.gif The next one in our bedroom started acting up weekend before last. It was on it's 3rd year of it's 5 year warranty. Lowes tried to get Frigidaire to replace it and after they got put on hold the 5th time, they refunded our money, but DH had to drive one hour each way to find a Lowes with some window units in stock. So thank God for warranties and my DH icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif

21 years ago when my DH and I got married, we made an agreement - we would make sure he was warm in the winter and we would make sure I was cool in the summer. Great trade-off and we have never looked back. Now he's the one that's hot in the summer and I'm the one freezing in the summer (lost 100 pounds and all my "insulation" icon_lol.gif ).

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Apti Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 1:58am
post #23 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieCahill

68!

Call me crazy, but I'm fat and I don't like to be hot and sweaty in my own house. LOL!




Annie, I'm with you. That could have been my post! I was just talking to my niece today and said since I started doing cakes, I can now rationalize my AC running all the time. How cool is that? (get it, "cool", hee hee hee...) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my AC. I keep it set 24/7 at around 75-78 degrees when it's hot, and about 70 in the fall/winter.

I recently tried my hand at wrapping a cake in chocolate and Sarsi and ShirleyW said to set the AC at 72, so I did and it came out great.

I'm really fortunate in two ways. One, I live in a warm inland area of San Diego County but it's a "dry heat", no humidity, thank the good Lord. Two, since I have COPD and have to occasionally use oxygen and other medical equipment, our electric company (SDGE) gives 20% off my bill. I don't think SDGE would have offered the discount just to keep my BC from melting.

Changing the subject, the other thing I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE since I started doing cakes is my dishwasher. Whew. How did you experienced bakers who have been baking out of your kitchens survive without AC and dishwashers?

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catlharper Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 2:13am
post #24 of 32

We live in a townhome so it's about 1400 sq ft. and my DH knows that when I'm working on a cake it better be 68. One thing I asked when I went to rent the kitchen...can I turn the thermostat where I want it if I promise to put it back when I leave? LOL!

When we first married you had my family who never ever turned on the heat so when we'd spend the night there we'd freeze and then his mom who never turned off the heat and so we'd have to sleep with a window open to cut the heatwave. We decided then and there that the money would go to heat and cool our house so we are comfortable. This means about 150 in the summer and 90 in the winter and we could care less. Now my sister and BIL chose food and she LOVES to shop for it...could spend hours and hours shopping and if you need truffle oil or shredded coconut or saffron, she's got it somewhere in her pantry! LOL! On the other hand we figure if there's meat on the plate with a starch and veggies then we're good! LOL! Of course, my sister is a twig and I'm a seriously round girl so guess you could see how the food thing works out! LOL!

Been working on pieces for my grandaughters first b'day cake today so guess how cold it is in our house! LOL!

Cat

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mamawrobin Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 2:39am
post #25 of 32

[quote="Texas_Rose"]For me it's never been about not wanting the electric company to have my money, it's been worrying about not having the money to give to the electric company!!!


I know what you mean. I'll pay that bill before I buy groceries icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif
Ironically...my husband works for the electric company as a lineman.

He just got home from work this afternoon when he got a call to go work a power outage. He already had 41 hours in this week when he got home today. Had to take a shower, pack a bag and drive 3 hours to get to the town that has no power. Poor thing has been out in this heat all day and will be all night as well. LOVE the overtime though. It pays the electric bill. thumbs_up.gif

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bennett5 Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 3:02am
post #26 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieCahill

LOL! I keep hoping that when I lose some weight I'll be able to tolerate the heat better. I seem to be getting worse.





OMG AnnieCahill, Everything you say sounds like me,maybe we're long lost twins! LOL icon_wink.gif

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mamawrobin Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 3:10am
post #27 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by bennett5

Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieCahill

LOL! I keep hoping that when I lose some weight I'll be able to tolerate the heat better. I seem to be getting worse.




OMG AnnieCahill, Everything you say sounds like me,maybe we're long lost twins! LOL icon_wink.gif





I was thinking the same thing. But for me whether I'm a size 2 or a size 10 I'm HOT natured. Period. thumbs_up.gif

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Texas_Rose Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 6:45am
post #28 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kitagrl

We do not own our house and its highly inefficient....an older home....ugh...anyway it doesn't matter what we set it at, it can run all day but on hot days like we've had this summer its still 80 in here in the afternoon and evening.

I keep all my cakes in the fridge....but on the hottest days I still struggle with condensation.

Oh well.

Ideally 75 or below is good for caking....




If you change the air filter every two weeks, it will help it run better. You can get coil cleaning spray at Home Depot for $5 and it helps too, as long as you can see the coils to spray them.

I used a dehumidifier when I had an apartment where the AC just didn't work and they wouldn't fix it.

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dandelion56602 Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 7:06am
post #29 of 32

74-76 here. I was brought up in a house that was 78-80 & dh's was 70-72. We met in the middle. I HATE being cold. No lie, my lips, hands and feet would be purple when we'd go to his house. I would sit at dinner w/ an afgan on my legs & another wrapped around my upper body. THAT is miserable! But I've always been cold natured. Dh's grandmother keeps hers on 65---let's just say I don't visit but maybe once a year.

But if I'm baking or decorating I will turn the thermostat to around 72 b/c standing around a burner (use a hot spatula to smooth) I get hot. Once I'm done the air goes back to normal though.

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AnnieCahill Posted 6 Aug 2010 , 10:15am
post #30 of 32
Quote:
Quote:

I was thinking the same thing. But for me whether I'm a size 2 or a size 10 I'm HOT natured. Period.




Dammit!! That just burst my bubble, LOL . I am still on the weight loss path hoping that Sweaty Betty will take a hike.

Honestly I really hate summer. That sounds awful, but I just can't stand to get out of the shower and start sweating. Lotion melts right off my skin. I'm very fair, so I always burn. I also have rosacea, so it's hard to wear a lot of sunscreens. I like fall the best for sure, followed by winter, then spring (allergies), then summer.

My fiance likes "jacket weather." He wears shorts year round (did I mention he looks like a spaghetti noodle?). He only wore pants (windbreakers!) once over the winter and that was when we got some serious snow and we had to shovel everything.

Regarding heat/cold: My philosophy is, you can always put more clothes, on, but you can only take so much off!!!

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