I want my heat to be at 65 or so when i get home from work. Is it better to keep it at 50 or 60 during the time I'm not home? I can't figure out if the energy burned keeping it at a higher "away" temp is more or less than that which will be burned getting the temp up to 65 from the lower "away" temp.
2007-01-24 08:32:03 · 12 answers · asked by Chance 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
rule of thumb is to maintain a regular temp. However, this is based a daily schedule. if you're going to be gone for an extended period of time it's best to reduce the temp.
2007-01-24 08:40:46 · answer #1 · answered by rookiewriter 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good for you trying to save energy.
Let your home cool while your gone. True, it will have to run for an extended period to get it back up to temp when you get home (or when you program your thermostat to bring up temp) but run time won't be as long as the sum of the individual run times maintaining the temp. This is because your heat loss while you are gone will be somewhat lower due to less differential to outside. Also I believe your furnace will be slightly more efficient for a long burn over many shorter burns.
One problem you may notice however is that everything in the house will be at the lower temp including walls, furniture, etc. This means that when the temp is brought back up to your at-home temp the place may well seem chilly. Some people find this uncomfortable. So you might be tempted to turn temp up even higher than otherwise and this my eat up your savings.
2007-01-24 08:52:20 · answer #2 · answered by Bryon W 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is far more efficient to turn it down when you are out than to let it keep an empty house warm. If you have a set schedule when you are gone, say Monday through Friday while at work, you may want to invest in a digital programmable thermostat. This can also be used to set back the temperature a few degrees at night while you sleep and then automatically warm the house back to normal temperature before you wake up in the morning. This would definitely justify the cost of such a thermostat, even if you had it installed by a professional and cost a couple hundred dollars, since you will save hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs.
2007-01-24 09:22:42 · answer #3 · answered by Tsunami 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it wastes less if it goes on and off, and doesn't have to try and maintain a steady "medium" temp. Your local hardware store will have some electronic energy effecient thermostats, easy to install, that you can program by time and day... so, for example, you set a low "away" temp during the day, but tell it you want the room to be at 65 when you get home at 5pm.
2007-01-24 08:38:17 · answer #4 · answered by teresathegreat 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is more important to you? Money or comfort?
I have an office about a mile from my home. Since I don't necessariy occupy it each day, I set it down to 60 F when I'm not there.
Its forced air, so it warms the air quickly when I arrive, but as soon as it cycles off the still cold walls and furniture suck up the heat making me feel chilly. It takes about 30 to 50 minutes to feel nice again as the heater goes about its business.
If you arrive home on a regular schedule, but a programmable thermostat and set it in advance of your arrival. If your schedule varies, be prepared for a little discomfort for the first hour.
2007-01-24 10:20:37 · answer #5 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on outdoor temp will be your biggest factor. If it's in the 40's and clear, you may be safe with just turning it off. If it's only in the teen's or 20's with cloud cover, then leave it on at a lower temp. Square footage is also a variable. Smaller place, quicker recovery. Boiler or forced air? Boilers work better left on than off, slow recovery. Forced air can recover faster. It wouldn't hurt to try a set back thermostat and play with the settings to see if you can watch your gas bill. Also if you equipment is out dated, consider high efficency replacement. Hope this helps. 14 years in the HVAC trade.
2007-01-24 08:55:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is more energy efficient to leave the temperature at a constant setting. Everything in the heated space will cool if you adjust the thermostat to a cooler temperature. You then have to heat everything in the room (walls, furniture, tables, bedding..etc.). Now the furnace has to not only heat the airspace, but everything else. Conversely, when you turn your furnace down, the temperature will not drop as fast. If you are going away for an extended period time, you can adjust the temperature down to conserve energy. But once you have it at a comfortable temp, leave it there.
2007-01-24 08:50:51 · answer #7 · answered by Elwood P. Dowd 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It will save you money to not run the heat at all while you are away.
The down side is that you could suffer freeze damage using this practice, if it's a cold day. A more practical way to save energy costs would be to just set your thermostat back about 10-15 degrees lower then your normal setting while you are away.
2007-01-24 09:38:36 · answer #8 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It cost more money to keep tuning it on and off, is better to keep it at the temperature you like when you are home and lower not less than 45º any lower and you will have a risk of having a broken water pipe and geting water all over you home.
2007-01-24 08:45:50 · answer #9 · answered by javierporras1983 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have heard it both ways on this, but the consensus seems to be that if you aren't at home, just leave it set low, or even off. For instance, if I went to work at 7am and got back home at 5pm, I would program the thermostat to stay off until probably 4pm, then have it set to kick on at 4pm at the desired temperature you want when you get home.
2007-01-24 08:43:45 · answer #10 · answered by TB28 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋