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Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:41 pm

I have always had oil heat furnaces in my house and needless to say the yearly cost has been going up. A couple of years ago I installed a programmable thermostat, going up first thing in the morning, down when we leave for work, back up in the afternoon and then down at bedtime. Something like 68-64-69-64

So this year my wife asks would it not be better to set it at one constant temperature like 68?

So should I do it my way or listen to my wife? :lol:

Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:46 pm

For heating, use the setback features :wink:

Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:51 pm

If it gets too cold I just throw another log on the fire. No fancy furnace in my old house.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:07 pm

70 at 6am wakeup, down to 64 during workday, 67 when i get home and back to 66 or so when we got to bed. new pella windows going in upstairs on the 17th so we will see if that changes anything(probably not!) forced natural gas hot air here

Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:34 pm

68 when we're home and awake, 63 at night and when we're gone. I heat with a wood pellet stove it's much cheeper than electric or gas (about $600 per year for an old poorly insulated house)

Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:57 pm

We set ours at 58º full time. Oil = $$. God invented sweaters and wool socks for a reason!

Seb.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:01 pm

obus wrote: 70 at 6am wakeup, down to 64 during workday, 67 when i get home and back to 66 or so when we got to bed. new pella windows going in upstairs on the 17th so we will see if that changes anything(probably not!) forced natural gas hot air here

Reconsider your window choice.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:06 pm

why do you say that? we have anderson downstairs and they are not all that.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:17 pm

If it gets too cold, wear another sweater. The heat goes up when you can see your breath inside the house - that's what I tell my kids. In reality, it is set to 67 occupied, 58 unoccupied.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:23 pm

EdW wrote: obus wrote: 70 at 6am wakeup, down to 64 during workday, 67 when i get home and back to 66 or so when we got to bed. new pella windows going in upstairs on the 17th so we will see if that changes anything(probably not!) forced natural gas hot air here

Reconsider your window choice.

I agree with Pella windows that you buy at Menards, but that goes for any window at that construction Wal-mart. They tell the company to make a window for cheap or they dont carry them, just like walmart. as long as you buy them from a pella story or distributor they are a good window. the same goes for Andersen windows. They all make a "special" window for the box story that care them.

My brother works at Pella and my in-laws do injection molding and this is always happening with the big box storys.

So as long as they are not Menards windows you have good windows and install them.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:25 pm

Bah, thermostats. Who needs them. I just put more wood into the stove and open the damper. Before bed, fill it as much as possible and close the damper. House is still warm in the morning and all that is usually needed is to throw more wood in to get it going again. :P

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:34 pm

I noticed a drop in my heating bill after installing a programable thermostate. I'd keep using it.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:42 pm

We use a programmable thermostat and it is worth the money. They used to say back the temp down 10 degrees but not anymore. It works much better to only back the temp down no more than 5 degrees.

If you are using a heat pump than programmable can be a problem. Heat pumps are not very fast for bringing the heat up so they are installed with an electrical heater like a toaster. If it registers more than a 2 degree difference in the temp to the desired temp it will kick on the electrical element and use a lot of electricity, this looses it efficiency which defeats the purpose of having a heat pump. So make the steps in 2 degree increments.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 8:16 pm

iowa vw wrote: We use a programmable thermostat and it is worth the money. They used to say back the temp down 10 degrees but not anymore. It works much better to only back the temp down no more than 5 degrees.

If you are using a heat pump than programmable can be a problem. Heat pumps are not very fast for bringing the heat up so they are installed with an electrical heater like a toaster. If it registers more than a 2 degree difference in the temp to the desired temp it will kick on the electrical element and use a lot of electricity, this looses it efficiency which defeats the purpose of having a heat pump. So make the steps in 2 degree increments.

Yes, heat strip backup is very expensive to use, like all radiant systems.

Running a heat pump is basically just reversing the refergerant flow, bringing the latent heat in from outside the dwelling. Cooling is the opposite, removing the heat from the dwelling. Most systems will turn on at least the first stage of back up when the outside temp nears 30 degrees, no matter what kind of wall thermostat you have.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 9:45 pm

68 back to 60 when we're asleep or not around.

My boss keeps his house in the mid seventies. It's just crazy. It's 70 in the office at work and he wears his coat all day. He's actually went to the doctor for it, but they couldn't find anything.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:37 am

Ah, the great temperature debate!

There is a point at which thermal mass comes into play and negates any energy savings of setting back temperatures beyond a certain point. Thermal mass is such simple things like your furniture going cold, your books, lamps, electronics, anything in the room that sucks up and radiates heat also sucks up the cold. The walls and floors of your house are major thermal mass units.
All of these have to be warmed up to your comfort temperature. If not they can radiate cold for a long long time, like leaving your refrigerator door open too long.
This warming of thermal mass can suck up a large portion of any savings and makes your house uncomfortable for an extended time period. If it were only as simple as warming up air!

The point is don't go too low and program for a return to temperature a bit before you get home or wake up.
You will experience a savings though, when used moderately.

Or, set your house at 58 all the time....brrrrrrr I'd be divorced in a heart beat if I insisted on that! She feels she works and makes as much money as I do and if she wants to use some of hers to buy fuel........... :roll:
I know, we've had the being environmentally responsible talk. I made her live in a house heated only by a wood or coal stove for almost 20 years and she now has central heat in this one and LOVES IT!!!!!! (claims I tried to freeze her to death)

Dave

Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:48 am

69 Jim wrote: iowa vw wrote: We use a programmable thermostat and it is worth the money. They used to say back the temp down 10 degrees but not anymore. It works much better to only back the temp down no more than 5 degrees.

If you are using a heat pump than programmable can be a problem. Heat pumps are not very fast for bringing the heat up so they are installed with an electrical heater like a toaster. If it registers more than a 2 degree difference in the temp to the desired temp it will kick on the electrical element and use a lot of electricity, this looses it efficiency which defeats the purpose of having a heat pump. So make the steps in 2 degree increments.

Yes, heat strip backup is very expensive to use, like all radiant systems.

Running a heat pump is basically just reversing the refergerant flow, bringing the latent heat in from outside the dwelling. Cooling is the opposite, removing the heat from the dwelling. Most systems will turn on at least the first stage of back up when the outside temp nears 30 degrees, no matter what kind of wall thermostat you have.

Yes heat pumps stop working at around 0. after that they are pretty worthless and you need a forced air (which a lot of people do here) or an electric element.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:44 am

We dont turn the heat on at my place until it's in the 20's outside. Usually around the end of December or begining of January and even then we dont turn it up past 62.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:06 am

im just lucky, my house stays at about 68 all through winter. hella insulation, and triple pane windows but we usually have to open a window or 2 cuz house is so well insulated that air gets stale. in summer we just open all 3 big french doors and usually dont close them til end of september.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:55 am

A "crisp" 53 degrees in my house this morning when I got up at 6:30. I have the heat held at 50 right now. it was 26 degrees outside this morning.

When I do turn it on, it comes on for 70 degrees 1/2 hour before I get up, and shuts off 1/2 hour before I leave. Stays off all day (the poor dog has blankets at least). Then back on to 68 degrees 1/2 hour before I get home and stays on until 9:00pm, when it goes back to 50 degrees for the night.

Sleeping in the cold is the best.

On a oil/gas furnace it only costs money when its running.