The Cost of Comfort: How Indoor Temperatures Shape Heating Bills Across Europe
New tado° analysis shows how average indoor temperatures across Europe translate into higher or lower heating costs - with differences of nearly 24 percentage points between the warmest and coolest homes.
Munich, 05 February 2026: tado°, the leader in home energy management, today publishes new analysis revealing how warm Europeans keep their homes and how everyday comfort choices influence household heating bills.
The analysis highlights a clear contrast between Europe’s warmest and coolest homes. Hungary, Slovakia and Denmark record the highest average indoor temperatures, with homes heated to around or above 20 °C, while the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland sit at the other end of the scale, keeping average indoor temperatures below the WHO-recommended 18 °C benchmark.
According to the European Commission, heating and hot water account for around 79% of household energy use, making indoor temperatures one of the biggest drivers of home energy consumption. Even a 1 °C increase in thermostat settings raises heating use by around 7% - a small change that can significantly affect bills amid today’s cost-of-living pressures and high energy costs.
The cost of comfort
With more than one million connected homes across the continent, tado°operates one of Europe’s largest datasets on real-world home heating behaviour. The findings in this analysis are based on anonymised, aggregated temperature, offering a unique view into how Europeans heat their homes.
In 2022 tado° reported that across Europe, average indoor temperatures dropped sharply as a result of the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. This year, tado°’s data shows that indoor temperatures remain stable compared to the four winters since the war - suggesting that the behavioural changes triggered by the 2022 energy crisis have become the new normal.
Key Findings: Who Is Paying Most for Warm Homes?
Key findings from the analysis reveal that:
- Higher indoor temperatures are observed across a mix of Northern, Central and Eastern European countries, including Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, where average indoor settings exceed 20 °C. In these markets, heating costs are estimated to be around 12% to 15% higher than the 18 °C benchmark.
- By contrast, households in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland keep the coolest homes in Europe with temperatures set below the 18 °C benchmark. As a result, these markets are saving up to nearly 9% on their heating bills each year.
- The difference between Europe’s warmest and coolest countries now reaches nearly 24 percentage points, illustrating how relatively small changes in thermostat settings can translate into significant differences in heating energy use.
- Germany sits firmly mid-table, with an average indoor temperature just above 19 °C and an estimated 7.2% increase in heating costs compared with the benchmark - suggesting that comfort remains a priority even in a market with high energy prices.
- France, Italy and Spain sit close to the benchmark, indicating more restrained heating behaviour compared with both Northern Europe and the coolest Western European countries.
A full country ranking is available in the appendix.
Warmth versus wallets
Applying these behavioural differences to typical national heating bills reveals the rea lcost of comfort:
- Germany: Average heating bill in 2025 €1180 +7.2% premium = €85 extra.
- France: €1462 heating bill; +4.55% = €67 extra.
- Spain: €640 heating bill; +5.25% = €34 extra.
- United Kingdom: £1386 (€1579) heating bill; –8.96% = €142 saved each winter
- Netherlands: €1,631 heating bill, -7.63% = €125 saved
“The numbers show that small differences in comfort can have a large impact,” said Christian Deilmann, Co-founder and Managing Director at tado°. “Our goal is to help households understand how heating choices affect heating costs so they can. make informed decisions. Whether it’s saving money, cutting energy waste or staying cosy, people can choose what matters most to them - and smart control makes it easier to do all three.”
How tado° helps households reduce heating bills
On average, tado° customers save 22% on heating costs. With tado°, households can remove the guesswork from comfort and can instead significantly reduce - or even avoid - higher heating costs linked to warmer indoor temperatures.
tado° enables this through:
- Room-by-room control: heat only the rooms you use, not empty space.
- Smart schedules and Geofencing: heat when you’re home, pause when you leave.
- Open-window detection: stop burning money when fresh air is flowing.
- Learning features: AI-powered systems adapt to the home’s routines over time.
As Europe moves toward greater energy independence and sustainability, these incremental savings also help households contribute to EU efficiency and emissions-reduction goals - one degree at a time.
Notes to editors:
Press Material:
High-resolution images found here.
About the data & methodology:
How the table was calculated:
- The Heating Premium expresses how much more (or less) heating energy a household uses compared to an 18 °C baseline.
- A difference of +1 °C results in approximately +6% more heating energy bills.
- It uses the formula: Heating Premium (%) = 1.07 of the difference between the country’s average indoor temperature and 18 °C.
Important notes:
- Results focus on healthy adults in temperate climates; higher minimum temperatures may apply for older adults or vulnerable groups.
- National averages may mask regional differences in home insulation, climate and heating systems.
About tado°
tado° is Europe’s leading home energy management company, helping households take control of their energy use and cut costs - no matter what heating or energy systems they use. Founded in Munich in 2011, tado° combines hardware, intelligent software and services into one easy-to-use platform.
tado° offers simple and efficient home climate management, intelligent electric vehicle charging, photovoltaic integration and dynamic energy tariffs - all while automatically shifting electricity consumption to the cheapest and greenest hours of the day.
Our vision is clear: energy in sync with nature.