Turning the heat up in the house

[Lord Ash]

Hey all,

Just a random question I thought someone here might know the answer to;

Is it better to turn the heat in the house WAY down during the day when we are not home (say, 52) and then turn it up to 62 when we get home, or is it better to keep it a bit warmer during the day (say, 58) and then just raise it a bit to 62 when we get home? And by better, I generally mean cheaper.

:)

Thanks!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Hey all,

Just a random question I thought someone here might know the answer to;

Is it better to turn the heat in the house WAY down during the day when we are not home (say, 52) and then turn it up to 62 when we get home, or is it better to keep it a bit warmer during the day (say, 58) and then just raise it a bit to 62 when we get home? And by better, I generally mean cheaper.

:)

Thanks!

62? What are you guys? Eskimos? Sheesh.

Leave your thermostat set at 62 (brrrrr). That way you don't have to warm up the entire mass of the dwelling each time you raise the t-stat back to 62 (did I say brrrrrr yet?).

[allenmurray]

Is it better to turn the heat in the house WAY down during the day when we are not home (say, 52) and then turn it up to 62 when we get home, or is it better to keep it a bit warmer during the day (say, 58) and then just raise it a bit to 62 when we get home? And by better, I generally mean cheaper.

I don't think there is one correct answer. With a heat pump and a fairly modern well insulated house keeping it at a constant temperature is the way to go. With a gas/oil furnace, that can get the house warm quickly, leaving it down diring the day and turning it up when you get home may be better.

When I had a new heat pump installed at my current house the HVAC guy told me that the programmable thermostat was hardly useful. He advised me to decide where I liked it, set it there, and leave it the heck alone. However, the same company, when installing a gas paack type furnace in my previous house gave me the advice to set the programable thermosat low when I was not home and have it kick on about a half hour before I got home, turn way down after I was in bed and kick back on again about a half hour before I got up. I believe the answer is fuel and system dependent.

[camion]

Well...., speaking strictly theoretically the rate of heat (energy) loss from the house is proportional to the temperature difference between inside and outside. So to minimize energy usage you should keep temperature of the inside as close to the outside temperature as you can. That would argue for turning the temperature down when you're not home and at night when you go to bed.

Or you could just turn the heat off and wear a sleeping bag.

Or you could go to the humane society and get two or three furry portable heaters. (Three Dog Night anyone?)

[dukegirlinsc]

My mom fussed at me yesterday because I actually turn my heat off during the day when I'm at work. So don't do that, lol.
;)

[YmoBeThere]

Or you could go to the humane society and get two or three furry portable heaters. (Three Dog Night anyone?)

I have two mobile heaters that work especially well when I'm lying down on the couch. At night they tend to stick to their own beds but will occasionally crawl under the covers to provide warmth.

[PSurprise]

This is a good question-I've wondered this myself. I say just turn up the temperature outside...It's a bit costly, but go out and buy as many Hummers as you can. You may not feel the difference right away, but trust me, it'll work eventually.

[Acymetric]

Assuming you don't mind a cold house when you get home, turning the heat down/off will save you money. If you have a programmable thermostat that can be set to kick on a little before you usually get home to warm the house up before you get there, even better. But definitely saves energy and money to just let the house cool down (or heat up, works the same with AC) while you're gone.