Proper thermostat usage

[belfastboy]

My wife brought home a programmable thermostat many many years ago when they first came onto the market. She worked for the big utility and she either bought it cheap or they gave it to her. We programmed our natural gas fired furnace to come on in the morning, shut off during the day while we were at work, back on at 5:00pm, off at 9:00pm. I thought us so sophisticated and environmentally conscious before it was really a 'thing'. Well 40 years on and we had a new high efficiency furnace installed on Wednesday and the installer told us the most fuel efficient method of use was to turn it on and leave it at a comfortable temperature...24/7.

It takes less gas to run it at a comfortable temp 24/7 than it does to turn it down at night and bring it back to comfort in the morning. Also, it is much less hard on the furnace mechanism itself.
So it seems that ALL these years while I thought I was doing the right thing, the good thing, the environmentally conscious thing........I have been doing it WRONG>

 

[belfastboy]

My wife brought home a programmable thermostat many many years ago when they first came onto the market. She worked for the big utility and she either bought it cheap or they gave it to her. We programmed our natural gas fired furnace to come on in the morning, shut off during the day while we were at work, back on at 5:00pm, off at 9:00pm. I thought us so sophisticated and environmentally conscious before it was really a 'thing'. Well 40 years on and we had a new high efficiency furnace installed on Wednesday and the installer told us the most fuel efficient method of use was to turn it on and leave it at a comfortable temperature...24/7.

It takes less gas to run it at a comfortable temp 24/7 than it does to turn it down at night and bring it back to comfort in the morning. Also, it is much less hard on the furnace mechanism itself.
So it seems that ALL these years while I thought I was doing the right thing, the good thing, the environmentally conscious thing........I have been doing it WRONG>

Neglected to mention that I was so sceptical of the installers recommendation that I phoned our local gas distribution company and asked the question. Yep, the nice lady confirmed the installers advice.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Neglected to mention that I was so sceptical of the installers recommendation that I phoned our local gas distribution company and asked the question. Yep, the nice lady confirmed the installers advice.

That’s is counterintuitive.
Maybe I’ve been right all along setting my air conditioning at 63 in the summer?

 

[Turnip]

I would not say that you did wrong with your 40yo „ship boiler“ it’s just that those modern high efficiency condensing boilers have to be „driven“ slightly different.
Like driving an oldtimer with an unsynchronized four step manual gearbox compared to a modern full synchronized eight or ten step automatic.

 

[belfastboy]

That’s is counterintuitive.
Maybe I’ve been right all along setting my air conditioning at 63 in the summer?

Yes, it would seem to follow the same principle. Keeping the temp even takes less energy than moving it up/down as needed. Counter intuitive for sure.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Sort of like keeping your car running if you make a short stop, rather than restarting it. Somebody once gave me that piece of advice, which I have been pondering ever since.

 

[GHT]

It takes less gas to run it at a comfortable temp 24/7 than it does to turn it down at night and bring it back to comfort in the morning. Also, it is much less hard on the furnace mechanism itself.

The code-breakers of WW2 discovered much the same. Collossus used thermionic valves to perform, but the valves would regularly blow out. They discovered that the life of the valves was greatly extended if the machine was left switched on.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Sort of like keeping your car running if you make a short stop, rather than restarting it. Somebody once gave me that piece of advice, which I have been pondering ever since.

A few years ago my company bought some fleet cars that automatically turned off when you stopped. You’d come to a stop sign and once stopped the engine would shut off. When you took your foot off the brake the engine would restart automatically. Those cars were universally hated and didn’t remain in the fleet for long.

 

[belfastboy]

A few years ago my company bought some fleet cars that automatically turned off when you stopped. You’d come to a stop sign and once stopped the engine would shut off. When you took your foot off the brake the engine would restart automatically. Those cars were universally hated and didn’t remain in the fleet for long.

I traded in my basic Hyundai SanteFe, manual tranny, zero bells and whistles for a new Tucson, base model. They don't make a manual tranny any longer and the damn car comes, even as the base model, with all these bells and bloody whistles. Including the automatic shutdown at red lights. I have most of the 'features' shut off as I they are a distraction. When I did the road test the salesmen was pointing out all these features. He was a young guy and I told him my first car, a 1951 Chevy, had a back up camera.....except we called it a "rear view mirror". We also had the 'lane change monitor" back then too.....except we called a shoulder turn. He didn't know whether to laugh or just nod in agreement.......

 

[belfastboy]

The code-breakers of WW2 discovered much the same. Collossus used thermionic valves to perform, but the valves would regularly blow out. They discovered that the life of the valves was greatly extended if the machine was left switched on.

We received 32 years of life out of the furnace, an inexpensive, middle of the road builders grade furnace. We were on borrowed time so we bought a new one as the gas company was offering $1000 rebates on the new high efficiency furnaces. The rebate was only given if you upgraded from a working furnace.....if it broke down....no rebate. But when I asked the lady about proper use of the thermostat I also asked how much savings on my gas bill would I enjoy....She replied ever so politely that I would likely not see any reduction. She could not or would not respond to my next question on why do they call them 'high efficiency" when there is no savings to be had on lower consumption because apparently there is not any lower consumption..

 

[GHT]

I traded in my basic Hyundai SanteFe, manual tranny, zero bells and whistles for a new Tucson, base model. They don't make a manual tranny any longer and the damn car comes, even as the base model, with all these bells and bloody whistles. Including the automatic shutdown at red lights. I have most of the 'features' shut off as I they are a distraction. When I did the road test the salesmen was pointing out all these features. He was a young guy and I told him my first car, a 1951 Chevy, had a back up camera.....except we called it a "rear view mirror". We also had the 'lane change monitor" back then too.....except we called a shoulder turn. He didn't know whether to laugh or just nod in agreement.......

How I empathise with your take on today's cars, we have had our VW Golf for over 22 years, the previous longest we had a car was four years. It seems as though manufacturers are trying to out gizmo one another with every new model produced. I've seen those cars that switch off automatically when stationary, how annoying is that?
Whose come across the automatic electric handbrake? You simply flick a switch to apply said brake then when you apply the accelerator the brake automatically disengages, except that it needs a second or two in order for the computer to work out what's happening, it is so frustrating.

Our neighbours have a new camper van, that has two starter devices. One is the key in the ignition, the other is for the service engineer when the vehicle is in the workshop, it's a starter switch on the driver's door. All those whistles and bells just means there's so much more to go wrong. My old MG just chugs happily along and causes so many smiles, unlike the wind tunnel designed modern day, excuse for cars.

Just a post script, the reason that our VW runs so well and has lasted so long is because it shares a heated garage with our cossetted MG.

 

[Turnip]

The solution is simple, buy a Lada Niva next time. Neither is any kind of computer on board nor has is seen anything like a wind tunnel.

 

[belfastboy]

How I empathise with your take on today's cars, we have had our VW Golf for over 22 years, the previous longest we had a car was four years. It seems as though manufacturers are trying to out gizmo one another with every new model produced. I've seen those cars that switch off automatically when stationary, how annoying is that?
Whose come across the automatic electric handbrake? You simply flick a switch to apply said brake then when you apply the accelerator the brake automatically disengages, except that it needs a second or two in order for the computer to work out what's happening, it is so frustrating.

Our neighbours have a new camper van, that has two starter devices. One is the key in the ignition, the other is for the service engineer when the vehicle is in the workshop, it's a starter switch on the driver's door. All those whistles and bells just means there's so much more to go wrong. My old MG just chugs happily along and causes so many smiles, unlike the wind tunnel designed modern day, excuse for cars.

Just a post script, the reason that our VW runs so well and has lasted so long is because it shares a heated garage with our cossetted MG.

Yes, that was the other question I had to ask the salesman when I parked the car after the test drive...."where the hell is the parking brake". When I told my young nephew his response was "how the hell can you pull spin outs without the lever to pull?" Oh, how I miss my 1967 VW Beetle.....it was an upgrade from my 1964 model as it had a gas gauge that the '64 did not. That was it......the ONLY bell and zero whistles except the AM radio.

 

[tonyb]

We had to replace our programmable thermostat just a few weeks ago. (Glad it was only that and not a costlier problem.) The new one is the same model as the one it replaced — a $30 unit. The HVAC tech ran through the various options, including models your smartphone can talk to, so you don’t have to get off your fat rump to adjust the temperature. He agreed with me that such features are more than a little gimmicky.
I have yet to use the programmable features. I have it set at 72. The only time I touch it is to switch it from “HEAT” to “COOL.”
You really do want a good HVAC system here, where it dips below 0 degrees F in the winter and climbs over 100 in the summer.

 

[belfastboy]

We had to replace our programmable thermostat just a few weeks ago. (Glad it was only that and not a costlier problem.) The new one is the same model as the one it replaced — a $30 unit. The HVAC tech ran through the various options, including models your smartphone can talk to, so you don’t have to get off your fat rump to adjust the temperature. He agreed with me that such features are more than a little gimmicky.
I have yet to use the programmable features. I have it set at 72. The only time I touch it is to switch it from “HEAT” to “COOL.”
You really do want a good HVAC system here, where it dips below 0 degrees F in the winter and climbs over 100 in the summer.

We run ours at 19C or 66F for about 8 months of the year and then shut it off during our 'summer' when the outdoor temp runs between 65 and 75F. Last year we had a heat wave and it was over 85 for a long stretch and hit over 100 on a few days. We ran fans in the bedroom to cool it down at night and spent evenings in the shade outside or in our basement TV room. Our electricity bills run about $25 a month and gas bill under $100/ month most months of the year.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
Gas furnace and water heater here, electric everything else. Xcel Energy bill runs something around a buck seventy-five a month on average, I’d guess — more gas consumption in the winter, of course, and more electricity in the summer, what with running that A/C all day and half the night.

Lotsa rooftop solar around here. We’re considering it ourselves. The calculation is how many years of pretty much free electricity (on average) it would take to amortize the system. And what the lifespan of the system might be.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We don't have natural gas here, and propane is an expensive hassle. so the majority of houses in Maine with central heatign burn fuel oil. Since some winter weeks you have to decide if you;re going to buy oil or buy groceries. the reasonable thing to do is run the thermostat at 60 degrees and put on a sweater. And you don't need a programmable thermostat to do that, an old round Honeywell does the job fine. It's brisk waking up in the morning and the kitchen is around 50-55 due to the way the heat circulates, but a good chill gets the blood flowing. oil.

This is luxury, though, compared to growing up with kerosene heat, where the stove had to be hand-lit by whoever it was who was unfortunate enough to have to get up first.

 

[tonyb]

During the “energy crisis” (if that’s an accurate characterization) of the early- to mid-1970s it was recommended that households close off unused rooms and cut off the heat to them.

Many of us then residing in the cool and damp Maritime Pacific Northwest can tell of mildew proliferating in those closed-off rooms.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I grew up in Florida, and now live in Texas, so the idea of purchasing heat offends my delicate sensibilities. That said…yeah, the most efficient way to heat a space is to not let it get cold in the first place. I have a natural gas furnace, but rarely is it on.

We had a kerosene heater in the house growing up. Every few years my dad would light for the night.

 

[belfastboy]

We don't have natural gas here, and propane is an expensive hassle. so the majority of houses in Maine with central heatign burn fuel oil. Since some winter weeks you have to decide if you;re going to buy oil or buy groceries. the reasonable thing to do is run the thermostat at 60 degrees and put on a sweater. And you don't need a programmable thermostat to do that, an old round Honeywell does the job fine. It's brisk waking up in the morning and the kitchen is around 50-55 due to the way the heat circulates, but a good chill gets the blood flowing. oil.

This is luxury, though, compared to growing up with kerosene heat, where the stove had to be hand-lit by whoever it was who was unfortunate enough to have to get up first.

Waaay back in my university days we lived in not communal houses but co-op houses. For one winter we rented an unheated summer house and dragged driftwood up from the beach to burn in the fireplace. My bedroom was at the end of a long hallway and the coldest spot in the house......but it cost just $100 per month split 5 ways. I lived on my 16 hour a week pay as a cafeteria pot washer at somewhere around a buck an hour. After uni I shared a house and the coal oil stove was the heat source. .......and yep first person up lit the stove. I think my accommodation costs soared from $20 a month to $50.....but it was in the city.