Winter. Temp outside is 0F. If I leave the thermstat on always at, for ex 72, or turn it off for 8,10 hours n?

Question

and only turn the heat on when we're home, which way will save us money? Thanks.

Answer 1

Don't turn it off completely becfause then the furnace will work harder bringing it back up to 72, from say 40f....keep it low when you arent there...like 50 or 55, and then turn it up when you get there.

Answer 2

In these temperatures, don't turn the heat off when not at home. Just set it low, like about 50 degrees F. If cold makes it way into your walls and freezes your pipes, you are in for a world of hurt. However, it is a good idea to NOT pay for heating that you don't need when not home. And yes, sometimes it costs more to reheat the house when you come home, but if you are gone for long hours, and don't run the heat to 80 degrees, you will be saving money.

Answer 3

Letting your house cool down during the day will save you money. Some will argue that you will have to make up the heat anyway to return the house to normal temperature. However, heat transfer is a function of how much temperature difference exists. So if you attempt to keep your house warm all day long, the difference between inside temperature and outside temerature will always be at its maximum, and thus the heat transfer rate or loss to the atmosphere will be maximized. Same thin applies in summer time but in reverse. In addition, in the summer time, your AC unit runs more efficiently when the outside temperature has cooled down.

Answer 4

I wouldn't turn it off while your gone, you would risk freezing pipes. I think you would save yourself some money if you just would set the temperature lower when you leave the house (somewhere between 55 and 70 degrees) and then crank it back up when you get home.

Answer 5

get a timer thermostat.. have it set off when you leave, have it come on half hour before you come home to warmth, have it turn off when you are in bed, have it turn on half hour before you get up for wamth. Bring it down to 68! You stay alive longer when you live colder.

Answer 6

You need to install a programmable thermostat available from a hardware store or "Home Depot"