We have natural gas heat and we are having a debate over whether it is cheaper to just leave the heat on (so the furnace doesnt' have to work to heat the house back up when we get home), or turn it off every time we leave.
2007-02-26 07:56:19 · 11 answers · asked by Ken 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Well...... If you have a programmable thermostat, you should set it to a more comfortable temperature when you are home, and a lower temp for when you are not.
For example, I have mine set at 62 during the day, that way IF, and for my house thats a big IF, the temp inside does actually get that cold, it will kick in. But I have mine come on about an hour before I get home so when I am home, the house is back at a decent temperature, which for us is 70, then at 10pm, I have it kick to 71, and at 6am the next morning, it goes up to 72 until 8, then its back to 62. So far my gas bill has been about $70 to $80 a month, and yes thats for the months we run it every day too. But also, if I was you, I would definetly check all your windows, doors, etc for any leaks if you are that worried about the cold. The better insulated your house is, the less energy you will have to use to get it to the right temperature.
Also, same does go with the AC, only during the day when we are not home, I have it set to 82, then to 76 about an hour before we get home. But hey, its more about personal preference too on what is hot or cold for you.
2007-02-26 08:09:27 · answer #1 · answered by jeff the drunk 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unless you have animals who need to be warm, turning down/off your heat is the best choice. You will definitely save money by not using the heat. The amount the furnace will have to work to get the temperature back up is substantially less than keeping the heat in the house on constantly. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can set it to warm up before you get home, which would be for comfort and not for cost savings.
PLUS, you will be helping the environment by saving the natural gas and lessening the carbon released into the atmosphere by your heating!
2007-02-26 08:07:43 · answer #2 · answered by Sydney 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes and if you live in a complex your neighbors will maintain the heat you have. The cold weather is the time to look at the freezing factors but at my house even without heat for hours at a time temperatures never drop below 60 degrees. It cost a little more to reheat at the beginning when you get home. I do it most of the time and it is a savings when I was in a complex I hardly ever turned on my heat and just put on a sweater and saved money. I do not like to fix frozen pipes so when it is real cold I just spend some of the money I have saved in other times of the year. Power is an even better way to save most of us live in a few rooms and need a few lights...turn off the ones you do not need.
2007-02-26 08:11:20 · answer #3 · answered by Pablo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get some programmable thermostats for $10-$15 at a hardware store. Set them to turn up to 68 an hour or so before you get out of bed and then back down to 62 just before you leave for work. Then back up to 68 and hour or so before you get home and back down to 62 around bed time. I found that I really only need the heat for a couple hours in the AM and then a couple hours in the evening. Definitely saves money long term.
2007-02-26 08:07:30 · answer #4 · answered by swag.madsci 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well of course it does! Exspecially if you heat by gas! I keep mine at 70 if it is cold and if its a little warmer about 65. when i leave and no one is there i turn it down to about 60
2007-02-26 08:05:07 · answer #5 · answered by Nancy Lou 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It helps to turn it down... You need to get a programable thermostat so you can turn it down and have it come on a few minutes before you get home. But be careful not to turn it down to the point where you risk freezing pipes!!
2007-02-26 08:07:03 · answer #6 · answered by John E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My wife and I just changed to a programmable stat. because sometimes we forget to turn it down at night and wake up to a hot and stuffy room or come home to a hot house for nobody being home all day.
2007-02-26 12:54:41 · answer #7 · answered by buckmans79 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you will save some money by turnign it completely off, but, it won't burn much if you just turn it down to 60 and then turn it back up when you get home, that way if the temp. drops unexpectedly then you don't have to worry while you are away...
2007-02-26 08:02:57 · answer #8 · answered by LittleLady 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I vote for turning it down when you leave. I have programmable thermostats and have found that when I do this, my heating oil lasts longer.
2007-02-26 08:00:01 · answer #9 · answered by Insurance Biz CT 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Turn it down by 10 degrees when you are not home.
2007-02-26 08:05:46 · answer #10 · answered by missyhardt 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋