What NJ thinks is the ideal thermostat setting for winter

It's the dead of winter in New Jersey, a time when furnaces are blasting all throughout the state. And with good reason, too.

This winter in particular has been really cold. Although to be fair, we really haven't seen such a stretch this time of the year for some time.

The past few Januarys, for example, have been relatively mild. There's no denying we got spoiled by having warmer temperatures during the winter months.

Nevertheless, it's supposed to be cold this time of year so I guess we really shouldn't complain. At least it's not the record-breaking cold we're dealing with.

With so many of us constantly running our furnaces, I decided to have a little fun during my Sunday morning show and ask what you prefer to set your thermostat at when it's cold out. Although you had quite a variation of answers, one in particular rose to the top.

Before I get into what you told me on the air, let me ask you here. Where do you keep your thermostat during the colder months?

With that said, let's take a look at a few stats first and see how they compare to what you prefer. On a larger scale from polls conducted in the past, the average temperature we keep our homes set at seems to bounce between two particular settings.

Two share the spotlight

68 and 70 are constantly the two temperature settings that emerge as the top preferences. That also makes sense since experts tend to agree that 68 is the ideal setting for the thermostat in winter.

This, of course, isn't set in stone. In fact, I bet many fight over what the thermostat should be set to in their homes.

With that said, my audience kind of surprised me with what they said. Now keep in mind, this is only a small sample of the state, but a sample nonetheless.

What our listeners said

According to those who responded during my show, 72 emerged as the top setting. Yes, apparently my listeners tend to like it a bit warmer than what most polls say.

But I can see that. I know in my house my wife likes it warmer than me, and she'll sometimes put it that high up. As for me? I tend to prefer it cooler, more toward the 68 that the experts recommend.

And no, it has nothing to do with trying to save money for the winter. I just tend to get hot easily, and that's really about it.

I'm also the person who'll keep the house like a meat locker in the summer, but we'll save that conversation for another time.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.