Thermostat Set-Back Help - Page 2

 

On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:07:23 -0500


As they should.  At that temp, you can die of hypothermia.  




That's a good point.  At best, you are only going to save about 20% on
the *supply* charges by using a set-back thermostat.  Unless the
apartment is empty the whole month, set at 55 the whole time.

So you can (and probably should) use a set-back thermometer, but don't
expect your utility bill to drop more than about 10%.   -Dave

 



A couple of things I haven't seen mentioned in the replies posted so far.

When your living quarters cool down, everything cools down - the air, the
furniture, the walls, etc.  Your heater can probably make pretty short work
of warming the air, but re-warming all that other stuff will take time.
Your couch or favorite chair may still be uncomfortably cool long after the
thermostat says your apartment is warm.

The other point is that it takes time for everything to cool down.  I heat
with natural gas (in southern NJ, not upstate NY, and I live in a house, not
an apartment) and have a set back thermostat.  Our winters are pretty
variable - some are cold and snowy, others not as bad as the year I lived in
Atlanta GA.  One year that was colder and snowier than average, our area had
to 2+ day when the electricity was out.  Of course, the furnace didn't work
during that period, but the interior temperature didn't fall below 50.

Back in my college days in Massachusetts, I lived in a third floor walkup
apartment.  I used to turn the heat completely off at night and never had a
problem.  But is was an old building, and the plumbing was all exposed, not
buried in the walls.  It was tough getting up in the morning - the
temperature in that apartment would fall into the low 40's some nights.

Mix that stuff in with tiered billing rates and separate fixed charges for
delivery, and it can be difficult to predict how much money you'll save by
downing the heat down.  The best way to find out is to try it and see.

 

On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:35:55 -0500, clams_casino


The lower the temp safely (pipes) go the more the savings.
What's important to remember is that heat loss and heating bills
are greatly affected by temperature differentials.
The cooler the house the less heat transfers to the outside.
And it's not a linear calc.
A thermo set at 73 instead of 70 can use much more energy than
the "10% every 3 degrees" I've seen mentioned here.
My own observation is when the heat is turned off in bitter temps
the house temps decline fairly rapidly at first, then considerably
slows in further decline.
You may find that if you set the thermo to 40 an hour before you leave
for work it will be comfortable enough when you leave.
If set for 68 at 5:30, you may arrive home to find just it coming on,
and the temp is still at +60.
Sometimes when the heat goes on in a cold house, the moving warm air
makes it feel more comfortable than the temperature would indicate.
But some places, like ceramic floors will feel very cold until they
absorb the heat.
You have to experiment to find your comfort level.
But the cooler the home temp, the less the gas bill.

--Vic
  
  

 

sse11791@aim.com wrote:


When you are returning sometime during the day, anything less than 60
will not likely generate any real savings, unless you are comfortable
at 65.  The time to warm the air and "stuff" to a comfortable level
will be excessive.

If you are away longer than a day, set it no lower than 50 so water
pipes in/near the exterior walls do not freeze.

If you have a newer 90%+ efficient furnace, any temperature
differential >6 deg or so will trigger the high-heat mode, negating
much of the savings.  So, don't setback more than that overnight.

I use 62 night, 68 wakeup, 67 away (which is really a combination of
away/home), 69 home (evening).

 

Bill wrote


Use a space heater to heat just the

Makes more sense to use a heated throw or electric blanket instead.


drapes over that.