House Thermostat Setting?

Putty Truck

What is the correct way to temperature control a house? I'm wondering because there are two...three...schools of thought here about letting the house get too cool (50) and then heating it up to 70 or keeping the house a minimum 60 (to 65) degrees and heating it up to 70.

Which is cheaper and most effective?

There is a discrepancy in #1 because someone likes it to get warm real quick after work.

The climate here is 30-50 degree spread on average with mostly cloudy and rainy days. It does stay darker here by at least 2 hours in winter due to being waaaay north.

The house is kinda older with adequate insulation and windows.

Here are the arguments:

1. 60 degrees at night, 70 degrees occupied, 65 degrees unoccupied.
2. 50 degrees at night, 70 degrees occupied, 50 degrees unoccupied.

Leo G

I would do the first with a modification, do 60*F unoccupied. Going down to 50*F is a little risky. If you have a power outage the temperature may drop low enough to get to the freezing level. I used to keep mine at 55*F during the day and we had a power outage about 2 hours after I left. I came back from work (which had power) to find my house at 38*F. I had a power inverter in my truck and was able to start the furnace up and heat the house. But it took forever to get it up to 65*F. Just something to think about.

__________________
Sawdust Follows Me Everywhere

http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

woodmagman

Sorry man, I am from Canada eh.....the F means nothing here unless you keep changing the thermostat, then you will get three more letters and a U

I believe in keeping it the same year round, day and night and closing registers and doors in the rooms that you prefer cooler like bedrooms. That way you do not need the window opened at night.

randomkiller

The first setting looks pretty good, the 60 overnight is a tad low, how long does it take to get back to 70 from there? What medium are you heating with air or water?
The mass in the space can hurt your progress heating or cooling with to drastic a change to over come.

__________________
"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan

concretemasonry

If you have a wood frame house, then a setback thermostat is absolutely necessary. The unoccupied temperature setting will depend on the minimum outside temperature. If it is very low (20 or less) you could also have a monitor that calls to give you notice when the temerature gets below your alarm setting. - Very common here with people having lake homes where it can be -30. The systems can also permit you to turn the heat on remotely for a week0end use.

If you have a masonry home, the savings on a setback thermostat are much less because of the thermal interia of the house. I experimented between a 40 degree unoccupied setting and turning the temperature up to 70 when I was there in comparison to a 65 degree setting unoccupied and 70 degrees when I was there. The annual difference was about $50, which was well worth the comfort when I use the cabin at least 50% of the weekends in the heating season. - Also, because of the exposure and mass, my furnace never came on until December even if it was below zero.

__________________
Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

LNG24

Befoe my wood stove I use to do 70 between 5-9am and 4-10pm. All other times was back to 65. However, depending on the outside temp. That 65 would meane the heat would stay off if it was at least 45 outside.

For my house, to try to keep it at 70 would mean running the furnace constantly.

RopeaGoat

We just had this come up in my Heating class at NEFI (New England Fuel Institute) and general consensus amoung the class was that a 4-6 degree set-back is the most efficient based on what has to be re-heated in most rooms (i.e. sofas, beds, etc.). Also, this seems to be the opinion of most or the guys over at heatinghelp.com. Another discussion board dealing with heating & cooling.

MechanicalDVR

If you can't keep your house at 70 inside when it's more than 0 outside your furnace isn't working properly or it's undersized.

__________________
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" mlk
100% Union and Proud of It

MechanicalDVR

You really have to take it on a case by case item, it does depend on the mass in the house, air infiltration and for the most part how long it takes to get back to temp.

I had a house on the water in Va that was a timber frame with 10" urethane in the wall panels and 12'' in the floor trusses. The house would come up to 68 at 0500 and the stat would set back to 65 at 0700, the heat wouldn't come back on until the setting went back to 68 at 1630, unless it was below 30 outside.

__________________
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" mlk
100% Union and Proud of It

hf05

even a plugged filter!!!.Anyway any more than 4 deg on a setback stat north of the 49th your not gaining a thing.In colder climates if your dropping your stat 10 deg's for 4 months straight at knight why not just keep it at 74 deg's 24/7 your consumption costs will most likely be the same!

daArch

70 ! degrees !!

WOW, I think I would expire from the heat.

This year, as a statement to the rag heads holding us hostage over the price of oil, we are going to fight back by using as little of their blood oil as possible. They're gonna get as little of my American green backs as possible. Less AMERICAN $$$ with which to kill our boys and girls.

I even went so far as to replace my 17 year old AMERICAN wood stove with a newer more efficient one (Vermont Casting) Our home this year will hover in the sixty degree range. Sure we put on more clothes, but they are AMERICAN made fleece (Pollartec - Malden Mills, Lawrence MA)

Here in Norfolk MA, the temp outside has been between 15 (last night) and 32 for the past week. Our rag head oil fired furnace has not been fired up yet.

AND you all are completely correct about the most economical range of heating your home. BUT, if you drop that high end down about five degrees and put on some more fleece, you can not only save $$$, pollute less, but most importantly, send less of our AMERICAN cash to OPEC.

__________________
Wallcovering Installations by Bill Archibald|paperhanger|Eastern Mass|Greater Boston Area|Dover|Wellesley|Franklin|Sharon|MA

randomkiller

74??? What do you walk around naked with ice cubes in your crack??? My blood pressure would take me out, the highest we keep our house is 67.

__________________
"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan

Home Serve

That would be my main question too; 74 degrees??? we never see that except in the summer. Wonder what it feels like to walk outdoors on a 0 degree day. Here 65 is tops. The human body is not meant to be in a 74 degree home in the winter except maybe if you are 74. If cold cozy up to the wood stove a little.
Dave C

__________________
Missouri Remodeling Company with services for Replacement Windows Vinyl Siding and Entry Doors

hf05

That was the point!!Sorry you did'nt get it?!

Home Serve

Good point, long day!

__________________
Missouri Remodeling Company with services for Replacement Windows Vinyl Siding and Entry Doors

LNG24

Not really; I have baseboard Hot Water. The previous owner added an addition on without increasing the furnace. So it is maxed out. That PLUS the house was built in 1969. Still has original windows and doors. Walls are 2x4 construction with T-111 sheathing. So it does little to hold the heat in or keep it out.

When I go to replace the unit I will upgrade it AND add radiant floor heating to the new addition, kitchen, bathroom, livingroom and dining room. That will force me to upsize the unit as well.

Hopefully by then I will have the biodiesel thing down pat and be running it on just that.

Teetorbilt

You dudes are WAY too funny. Here, It's 78 in the summer and 76 in the winter, on climate control. I'm a Bahamian and it's still a bit chilly for me.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein