London, 18.07.2024 – Brits can face sleepless nights when the outdoor temperature for the day has only risen just above 23°C, new data reveals.
Experts at the UK’s Sleep Charity say many people will face restless nights when the temperature in their bedroom is 24°C or higher1.
However, as the country faces this week’s summer heatwave, a study by European indoor climate management experts tado° has revealed that the average temperature outside during the day does not need to be very high at all to mean a sticky night tossing and turning in overheating bedrooms.
In fact, analysis of data from more than 120,000 homes in the UK shows the average daytime temperature outside during warm spells can be as low as 23°C for the nighttime indoor temperature to be over that threshold for a comfortable night’s sleep.
Met Office forecasts show London and the South-East average daytime temperature today (Thursday) will be in excess of 23° with the South and East of England not far behind.
Temperature plays a big part in a good night’s sleep, with the Sleep Charity saying the ideal level for a bedroom is between 16°C and 18°C. Our bodies begin to cool down in the evening, which is thought to be the signal to prepare for sleep and why we find it difficult to drop off when it is too hot. Studies have shown higher nighttime temperatures interrupt the body’s cooling schedule, leading to increased restlessness and reduced deep wave and REM (rapid eye movement).
During last September’s unseasonable heatwave, Londoners had a whole week where the average nighttime temperature was 24°C or more – spiking to a roasting average of 26.2°C on the night of September 9. People in the East of England fought through six consecutive nights of 24°C+ temperatures, one more than those trying to sleep in the South East and South West. In the East and West Midlands there were four consecutive nights.2
And already this year’s first mini heatwave at the end of June also saw average nighttime temperatures above 24°C in the East Midlands, East of England, London, West Midlands and South East.
tado°’s data reveals the real temperature ‘heat wave’ during hot spells inside a home is actually more of a ripple, as shown on our graph. While there are big differences between the high and low temperatures outside, a home’s insulation means inside temperatures remain far more stable – leading to less heat loss and therefore uncomfortable summer nights for sleep.
tado° CPO and Co-founder Christian Deilmann said: “We all love the warm temperatures, within reason, during the day but it is surprising how an average temperature of just over 23°C can heat up your home to a point where you may face an uncomfortable night that stops you sleeping. Because of the way our homes are built so that the temperature does not peak or trough like it does outside, we even saw some nights in excess of 24°C when the daytime outdoor temperature was only about 22°C.
“We all spend a lot of attention on the heating systems of our homes and trying to reduce our energy consumption for it but less on how to keep cool. Air conditioning is the obvious option and tado°s Smart AC Control is the ideal solution for then reducing its energy consumption and household bills.
“There are of course lots of ways to keep cool during the night but our data reveals the surprisingly low average temperature people should be aware of so they can at least prepare those options to try to get a good night’s sleep.”
Smart controls allow people to operate air conditioners more efficiently to reduce energy consumption as well as costs. Scheduling and smart functions such as automatic presence and absence detection through geofencing and open window detection, the tado° Smart Air Conditioning Control only cools a home when it is necessary and contributes to energy savings of 22 per cent on average2.
Mr Deilmann explained: “In extreme heat a cool home becomes a basic human need. With the planet heating up to record highs every summer, using an AC is often the only way to stay cool, healthy and productive. But it also increases household spendings on energy. One way to stay on top of energy consumption is to intelligently manage it with solutions like the tado° Smart AC control.”
2 Based on analysis of tado° of average temperatures in each region between 10pm and 7am for nighttime and 7.01am to 9.59pm for daytime during summer 2023
tado° is a leading European provider of intelligent home energy management solutions. Founded in Munich in 2011, the company offers households one simple, easy-to-use platform to control their energy consumption and significantly reduce costs while also driving the green energy transition.
tado°’s hardware, software and services deliver simple and efficient home climate management and heat pump control, intelligent electric vehicle charging, and Dynamic energy tariff integration on one platform for maximum comfort and savings while automatically shifting electricity consumption to the cheapest and greenest hours of the day.
tado° currently employs more than 200 people from 45 countries and is the only open platform to provide industry-leading compatibility. In 2022, tado° acquired aWATTar, a pioneer in the field of Dynamic energy tariffs, as part of its vision to offer a complete yet simple home energy management solutions package that reshapes the way energy is consumed for more comfort, savings, and in sync with nature.
Simone Kemmner
tado GmbH
Sapporobogen 6-8
80637 München