Households should switch to a winter duvet this October, with a specific tog rating confirmed by bedding retailer Cuddledown UK. The best time to make the swap is when overnight temperatures settle at around 16C and the central heating begins to kick in.
When to Switch to a Winter Duvet
According to Cuddledown UK, most households switch to a winter duvet in October. The retailer says: “Most people in the UK switch to a winter duvet sometime in October, once overnight temperatures settle below around 15–16°C and central heating starts running less consistently through the night. There’s no fixed date, the right time is whenever you notice yourself reaching for an extra blanket two or three nights in a row.”
The Recommended Tog Rating
For a typical UK winter, Cuddledown advises that most people are comfortable with a 12 to 13.5 tog duvet. It says: “For a typical UK winter, most people are comfortable with a 12 to 13.5 tog duvet. Go for 13.5 tog if your bedroom runs cold or you don’t use central heating overnight; 10.5 to 12 tog is usually enough in a warmer or well-insulated room. If you sleep hot even in winter, stick with a 10.5 tog and add blankets on the coldest nights instead.”
What Tog Rating Means
Tog rating measures how well a duvet holds warmth, not its weight or fabric. Cuddledown explains: “Tog rating is just a measure of how well a duvet holds warmth: the higher the number, the warmer the duvet. It has nothing to do with weight or fabric weave, and everything to do with how much air the filling traps. That’s why a lightweight goose down duvet can outperform a heavier synthetic one at the same tog rating.”
The retailer adds: “The honest answer is that it depends on three things more than the calendar: how warm your bedroom actually gets overnight, whether you run the heating while you sleep, and whether you personally run warm or cold.”
Choosing the Right Tog for Your Bedroom
Cuddledown offers specific guidance based on individual circumstances. If you heat your bedroom overnight or live somewhere well insulated, a 10.5 tog is often plenty, even in January. If your heating goes off at night and your room drops below about 16C, a 12 to 13.5 tog will make a noticeable difference. For consistently cold sleepers or those with partners who run warmer, a 13.5 tog or a combination duvet allows each person to choose their own layer. If you already sleep hot, avoid going above 10.5 to 12 tog just because it’s winter—a lighter duvet plus an extra blanket on the coldest nights is easier to regulate than an overly warm duvet.
