Thermostat in house setting, question

[Leeboy20]

I have my thermostat set at 60 degrees in my house right now. Its about 45 degrees outside right now. We will see temps lower than -10 or so , throughout the winter now. So, what will happen when it drops real cold? Will it still feel 60 in the house or is that too low and the cold will win the battle? Im just wondering, because of the way people set their A/C ....I dont know, just trying to be efficient this winter. Thanks

 

[ForceFed70]

Ugh. Use metric

You really have your furnace set to 15*C? That's too cold even for a cheapskate like me. I like it cooler than most and 19*C is about as cool as I will go during waking hours.

To answer your question tho: Even tho the inside temperature stays the same (at 15* or whatever) the colder it gets outside, the colder it will feel inside. The reason comes down to radiant heat and is hard to explain.

 

[nwav8tor]

I have my thermostat set at 60 degrees in my house right now. Its about 45 degrees outside right now. We will see temps lower than -10 or so , throughout the winter now. So, what will happen when it drops real cold? Will it still feel 60 in the house or is that too low and the cold will win the battle? Im just wondering, because of the way people set their A/C ....I dont know, just trying to be efficient this winter. Thanks

If it's efficiency you're after (which I assume really means cost savings) rather than warmth, then set the thermostat as low as you can stand it. Then the heater won't have to warm up the house as much. It'd be similar to setting your air conditioning thermostat at a higher temperature in the summer so it wouildn't have to cool the house as much.

Paul

 

[Leeboy20]

Haha....Whats funny is i only know celsius and i had to use a online converter to get those readings, i just thought most people still use Fahrenheit.... I dont mind wearing a sweat shirt in the house. I was curious that if it stays set at 15*C , when it gets realy cold, if it will feel like 0*C in here ....

 

[yyc_ranger_4x4]

Ummm...I really don't mean to sound like an a$$ with this but....

How has it felt every other year? I mean, obviously you've been around enough years to be able to type, ask this kind of question, and have a good understanding of the possible answers...so obviously you've experienced a winter or few already.

How it feels to you, may be different than others. I have days where I know the temperature in my house doesn't change, but I still feel cold. Wish I could explain why.

 

[Leeboy20]

I've been here 6 years, and we always had the heat cranked. But in the summer my ex moved out with her daughter , and this is my first winter by myself ( except for booty calls..haha) Was trying to save some money this winter , thats all.

 

[jonee138]

Ugh. Use metric

You really have your furnace set to 15*C? That's too cold even for a cheapskate like me. I like it cooler than most and 19*C is about as cool as I will go during waking hours.

To answer your question tho: Even tho the inside temperature stays the same (at 15* or whatever) the colder it gets outside, the colder it will feel inside. The reason comes down to radiant heat and is hard to explain.

It nice and perfect answer because With a technical or manual thermostat, you management the heat range establishing personally. Best for people who are home often and choose a set heat range.

 

[Falcon67]

We run 68F here when we're in, 65F at night and away. Wife likes it cold, I wear long sleeves. We have electric heat which dries the air out, so colder seems to help reduce the incidence of colds, etc.

When I've been outside in the 40 degree weather doing stuff, 68 is quite comfy. When I've been outside in the 100 degree weather doing stuff, 68 is freezing azz cold. The temp in your house will stay 60 - how you "feel" about it will differ depending on other temp exposure.

 

[Highbeam]

To save money, leave the stat as low as you can stand it. You have lots of cold winter days to determine if the savings are worth the suffering. It's very simple, colder inside means less fuel spent on heating. Comfort goes down the colder it is inside.

Also, you get used to it. Used to cold and used to heat so that by the end of the winter your 60 degrees might feel comfortable.

I run a Blaze King woodstove made in canada in the hosue and we keep the house in the mid-upper 70s, yes Fahrenheit of course. No reason to be cold when there are trees to be burned.

Your booty calls will probably like a warmer house unless you really don't want them to stay too long. You can always bump up the heat for a day or for the evening.

 

[marty_p]

To save money, leave the stat as low as you can stand it.

Your booty calls will probably like a warmer house. You can always bump up the heat for a day or for the evening.

Yep, you'll pay for it one way or another..............

 

[DPelletier]

Hmm;

Ok, well colder weather does have an effect because cold air doesn't hold as much humidity and because you tend to get "chilled" when you're outside. That having been said; if the humidity is constant, 15 degrees is 15 degrees.

Your thermostat is simple; it sends a call for heat until the setpoint is satisfied. It takes the same amount of energy to heat it to 20 degrees and the same amount of time regardless of how high you set the thermostat.

To save energy I'd suggest using a programmable thermostat and lowering nighttime and or unoccupied times as well as considering a space heater(s) for area(s) that see the most use.

Dave

 

[Wastedwagesracing]

Thermostat setting is only part of minimizing heating cost. It's a good start but lots of other simple low cost and some higher things come into the picture.

http://www.engext.ksu.edu/henergy/wintercosts.pdf

 

[pitterpat]

Thermostat setting is only part of minimizing heating cost. It's a good start but lots of other simple low cost and some higher things come into the picture.

http://www.engext.ksu.edu/henergy/wintercosts.pdf

Nice PDF, lots of good suggestions.

 

[tdkkart]

You can set your T-stat where ever you want, but be aware that you have to be careful.
Even though it's 45* where you're sitting, it's colder some places, like under your kitchen sink where your pipes are at.

 

[hmbemis]

68 from 5AM - 9AM
55 from 9AM - 5PM
65 from 5PM - 11PM
60 from 11PM - 5AM

I've found that the house will drop quickly. I keep the 2nd floor of my house set at 50--I never go up there. But I've got some heating pipes running through unfinished attic space which easily drops to outdoor temps... it's really an idiotic design, but it's what I've got.

Something I considered is running the circulator pump without actually firing the burner, at least say 1 min out of every 30... just to keep the pipes from freezing.