Do preferred thermostat settings differ by sex?

• Article analyzes reported thermostat settings by 494 males and 786 females living in the US. • Average male and female reported thermostat settings differ by no more than 0.3 °C [0.5 °F]. • Controlling for demographic and environmental characteristics reduces the difference. This paper examines the extent to which males and females report different thermostat settings using data from single-occupant homes in the United States. Reported thermostat settings for heating and cooling at night, at home, and when away from home are rigorously tested for behavioral differences between the sexes. In general, single-occupant males and females report the same thermostat settings on average. The lack of differences between sexes is robust to controlling for demographic characteristics and environmental variables that differ systematically between the samples using both regression and decomposition approaches. These findings have important implications for thermostat settings and thermal comfort in shared spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]