Author Topic: What to you set the thermostat at?  (Read 20519 times)

OR

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What to you set the thermostat at?
« on: November 03, 2014, 09:59:47 PM »
What do you set the thermostat at?  Do you have a day/night routine?

I think I am going to try for 67 day and night this year.  But, when it is really cold, just a few months a year here, our house gets cold spots and we may have to crank it up a degree or two. 

Exflyboy

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2014, 10:05:58 PM »
I did have a few drafts.. even though we had rebuilt the house.. amazing how the cold air came in under the lower edges of the sheetrock on the outside walls.. I have spent a week plugging them all up and can now run the stat at 68.. previously 70 was the lowest My wide would allow me to go.

Now I get away with 68.. the drafts of cold air would always come in at foot level so it was impossible to get warm.. the stat being at head height had to be driven up more to compensate.

At night our heat is shut off.. but we are in Western Oregon and it rarely gets below 50F even in Winter inside the house.

Frank

monarda

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2014, 10:08:53 PM »
63 nights 65 days in winter

AC only turned on in summer when upstairs gets over 80. We set it to 76 or 77.

MountainBeard

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2014, 10:53:01 PM »
We have 5 zones on our boiler. For infrequently used spaces 60, otherwise thermostats are set for 62 at night or when folks are out of the house, 68 when we aren't.  Of course that's when DW isnt cold...  the other day I came into the room and it was set to 76.

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2014, 11:36:04 PM »
What a timely question! As winter begins, I have a related query for a smart mustachian or two. Our new single-story house is a great room style. The living room, dining area and kitchen make up about a third of the square footage. This area has 14' ceilings. We have gas forced-air heat. The house is about eight years old, so the windows are energy-efficient and the insulation is good. We can't let the house get too cold, as his mom lives with us and she has Alzheimer's. Would it be more efficient to keep the heat set at a given temperature (say 68) all the time? Since the room has such a large volume, it takes quite a bit of time to heat it up, but once it gets warm, it stays comfortable easily. MIL and I are home during the day most days. Conventional wisdom says to turn it down at might and when you leave the house, but most houses don't have 14' ceilings. Conversely, it kills me to think of leaving the house with the heat running. Anyone out there have an expert opinion they're willing to share? And no facepunches on the clown house, please. We bought it so his son, mom and an eventual caretaker can live with us. It's walking distance to DH's work.

LifestyleDeflation

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2014, 11:55:53 PM »
I live in my car in the winter. In January it often gets below 0F. I have warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag, and aside from when I have to pee in the middle of the night, I'm surprisingly comfortable. I don't mean to show off, but just to point out that it's always possible to go lower with your thermostat.

cthoops

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2014, 05:01:46 AM »
We have it set to 66 during the day and 58 at night.  I hate winter and if I'm feeling a bit too cold during the day I'll bump it up to 68 but once it gets there I bring it back down again.  We have radiators so they'll keep pumping out heat after the thermostat shuts off. 

Krackerjacksna

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2014, 05:30:26 AM »
I have it set at 64 from 6pm to 10 pm,  it is set at 58 the rest of the day.  Your not supposed to wear shorts in the winter, dress appropriate.   

VirginiaBob

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2014, 05:47:08 AM »
I have thermostat wars with my wife, which is getting annoying.  What I don't like is that if she is cold, she doesn't just bump it up a degree or 2, but she cranks it up 5 degrees. 

themagicman

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2014, 06:20:36 AM »
We usually keep it on 58 when we aren't home and 62 when we are home.

Question for everyone....What is the lowest temp that we should keep it on to keep the house "safe" (pipes freezing ect.) Could we go lower than 58? We live in a brand new house so I have hesitated to push it. We live in Atlanta so doesn't get very cold (Under 25 outside) very often!

Apples

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2014, 06:39:14 AM »
It's at 67 when we're home, 60 when we're not (which since we both work is during the day).  The temp right now doesn't fall below 65 inside on sunny days, 63 when it's cloudy; but in Dec/Jan/Feb the heat will turn on to keep it at 60.  I can't take lower than 67-my nose and cheeks get cold!  We have slight drafts at the top of the windows which I want to address some weekend after apple season ends.

To themagicman our farm has several houses, one of which was unoccupied last year-we kept the heat at 45, but also routinely checked on it to be sure pipes weren't freezing in any cold spots. But it was 15 degrees outside without the windchill, and near 0 with it for a lot of last winter (thanks polar vortex) so 45 in your area would probably be fine.

VirginiaBob I have done that :p  Usually it's because I really want the heat to turn on and warm me up; when the house only warms up a degree or two I only feel it a little bit.   But several degrees and I can feel my toes get toasty!

Lis

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2014, 07:09:47 AM »
We usually keep it on 58 when we aren't home and 62 when we are home.

Question for everyone....What is the lowest temp that we should keep it on to keep the house "safe" (pipes freezing ect.) Could we go lower than 58? We live in a brand new house so I have hesitated to push it. We live in Atlanta so doesn't get very cold (Under 25 outside) very often!

Growing up, my mom kept the heat on at 56 at night until we got our puppy. Then she raised it to 58 to keep him comfortable.

We always kept it on 58-60 during the day too. Once, when I was in high school, I raised the tempt to 62 and forgot to turn it down before my parents got home. Yep, I got in trouble. It had nothing to do with saving money (though my dad always chuckled when neighbors complained about their oil bill). My mom hates forced heat, and now that I'm living in an apartment where I can control my own eat, I hate it too.

SailAway

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #12 on: November 04, 2014, 07:41:45 AM »
Heh. A coworker referred to us as "survivalists" because we have yet to turn our furnace on.  My husband calls the furnace "that thing that keeps the pipes from freezing."

But to answer your question, last year during the polar vortex we set it at 55 day and 52 night. Wool socks and slippers are your friends. A nice warm kitty on your lap doesn't hurt either. Propane is damn expensive.

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Future Lazy

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #14 on: November 04, 2014, 08:17:01 AM »
Off.

It got below 26 degrees here last night, and we barely noticed. :)

RWD

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #15 on: November 04, 2014, 08:21:38 AM »
Heat at 68°. A/C on at 78°. That's the typical storage temperature range for medication (including birth control), so we'd rather not push those boundaries.

Pooperman

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #16 on: November 04, 2014, 08:22:46 AM »
Didn't even have heat until today after moving in a week ago. It's been in the low 40s at night too... Now that heat is a thing we can have, 68 during the day, 65 at night.

themagicman

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #17 on: November 04, 2014, 08:24:55 AM »
Off.

It got below 26 degrees here last night, and we barely noticed. :)

Did you notice how cold it go in the house?
Read through your blog by the way...It looks good! Keep it up!

MoneyCat

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #18 on: November 04, 2014, 08:29:18 AM »
I set the thermostat at 65F day and night, but I have to constantly monitor it because my wife keeps turning it up to 68F.  It's completely unnecessary to go above 65F.  Just put on a sweater.

themagicman

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #19 on: November 04, 2014, 08:36:34 AM »
I set the thermostat at 65F day and night, but I have to constantly monitor it because my wife keeps turning it up to 68F.  It's completely unnecessary to go above 65F.  Just put on a sweater.
Ha I am in the same situation. If I do not pay attention she will have it cranked up and wearing shorts, and many times she forgets to turn it down when leaving. Thinking about getting where I can change it on my smartphone for this reason

VirginiaBob

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #20 on: November 04, 2014, 08:48:28 AM »
I set the thermostat at 65F day and night, but I have to constantly monitor it because my wife keeps turning it up to 68F.  It's completely unnecessary to go above 65F.  Just put on a sweater.
Ha I am in the same situation. If I do not pay attention she will have it cranked up and wearing shorts, and many times she forgets to turn it down when leaving. Thinking about getting where I can change it on my smartphone for this reason

I wish they had (maybe they do) a reasonably priced thermostat that would automatically re-adjust the thermostat back down the the programmed set point every 10 minutes.  So if my wife bumps it up to break the chill in the house, it would automatically reset in 10 minutes.  The other day I put on pajamas, took a nap, and woke up in a sweat.  I should not be sweating in my house when it is 30-50 degrees outside.

nawhite

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #21 on: November 04, 2014, 12:14:00 PM »
Diane C - Even in that space you would be better off (from a "minimize total energy use" perspective) if you allow the room to get cooler at night. The reason for this is due to "Newton's Law of Cooling" which states: the rate of change of the temperature of an object is proportional to the difference between its own temperature and the ambient temperature (i.e. the temperature of its surroundings).

What this means is that if it is 45 degrees outside and you set it to 68 degrees inside (23 degree difference), you will lose heat faster than if you set it to 60 inside (only a 15 degree difference). The fact that you then have to use some energy to bring the room back up to 68 in the morning doesn't matter because you will have been losing that much energy (and more) all night long if you kept the thermostat up (and honestly, furnaces are often more efficient and get less wear when they can simply run continuously to bring the temp up a lot rather than cycle on and off all night long to keep the temp within a range).

As for myself, wake up time and evening at 66, night and daytime at 60. I work from home but I have south facing windows in my office so I can just open the blinds and get that room warmer most days. Cold overcast days I might up the house temp to 62 and wear socks and hoodies during the day.

Prepube

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #22 on: November 04, 2014, 12:42:28 PM »
I have electric baseboard heat (unfortunately), but it allows every room to be its own zone.  I live at 8500 feet, so it is wonderfully cool in the summer, and it is cold in the winter but not terribly so most of the time.  We turn off the electric heat in most of the house and have a pellet stove upstairs and a second one in the family room in the basement.  We set the thermostat for the upstairs stove at 59 at night, 68 when we're in the room, and 59 or off the rest of the time (e.g., when we are at work).  the rest of the house is off unless we are in there.  Even with most of the zones off most of the time, the house rarely goes below 50.  January and February can be very cold here for longer stretches (sub-zero)  and I set all the thermostats at 52 so that I don't have to worry about the water pipes... Maybe I should worry more about the pipes, but they are deep in the ground on their way out to the well, and the frost line is deep.  when I am really worried about it, I let a faucet drip.  My cats don't seem to mind the cold house, by the way.  They just find the warmest spot in the sun and curl up together.  The dogs don't care one way or the other and two of them prefer it outside no matter the weather. 

RapmasterD

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #23 on: November 04, 2014, 02:13:46 PM »
We have drafty windows from 1946. With new windows we'll be able to go down a degree or two.

For now:

69 degrees in morning and early evening...and weekend days.

64 degrees during sleepy time.

65 degrees during weekdays when it's just me here.

Spork

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #24 on: November 04, 2014, 02:36:01 PM »
We usually keep it on 58 when we aren't home and 62 when we are home.

Question for everyone....What is the lowest temp that we should keep it on to keep the house "safe" (pipes freezing ect.) Could we go lower than 58? We live in a brand new house so I have hesitated to push it. We live in Atlanta so doesn't get very cold (Under 25 outside) very often!

It's going to depend on a crapload of things:
* how cold it is outside
* how much insulation you have
* if the pipes are on outside walls
* if they are inside cabinets... if the doors are open/closed
* if the attic insulation is "at the roof" or "at the ceiling"
* if you have a crawlspace vs a slab foundation
... and I could go on and on...

I would suspect (but could easily be wrong) that if you put your thermostat on something ridiculous like 50... you'd be okay.  But you might want to do things like open cabinet doors on sinks that are on outside walls, insulate hose bibs, etc.

Our thermostat is:
summer (mine) 78 / (hers) 76 -- and I'd side with her at night
winter: off with wood stove running, sometimes running the HVAC fan just to circulate the air to the extremities.

begood

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #25 on: November 04, 2014, 02:44:42 PM »
65 during the day; 58 at night.

The thermostat is downstairs, so upstairs (where I work and where we sleep) is usually a couple degrees warmer. This year, I'm habitually out of the house weekdays from 3:30 - 7:00, so I'm going to program in a "afternoon away" time and drop it to 62 then.

studentdoc2

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #26 on: November 05, 2014, 10:14:35 AM »
In the winter, 62 when we're home, 55 at night. My partner is fine at those temps just wandering around in pants and a T-shirt -- me, I'm usually wearing long socks, long pants, slippers, sweatshirt, hat, scarf, and fingerless gloves with a blanket on my lap and a cup of hot tea :).

Fodder

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #27 on: November 05, 2014, 10:27:15 AM »
Constant 17C (62.6F).  I have little kids and a geothermal unit, which means I won't set the temp any lower, and that I need to keep it relatively constant.


southern granny

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #28 on: November 05, 2014, 01:27:00 PM »
66 when we are home and awake.  64 when we are gone or sleeping.

FarmerPete

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #29 on: November 05, 2014, 01:37:31 PM »
Wife and kid are at home during the day.  I set it to 64 during the day and 58 at night.  I turn it down a couple hours before bed.  We have a wood burning stove in the family room, so some nights I'll get a fire going to get the main floor up to 70.  In general though, I don't like to get it too hot.

nawhite

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #30 on: November 05, 2014, 04:26:24 PM »
Constant 17C (62.6F).  I have little kids and a geothermal unit, which means I won't set the temp any lower, and that I need to keep it relatively constant.

Why is it that you need to keep it constant? I know you don't get intense high temps out of a heat pump so is it just that it would take far too long to heat back up? Or does the unit take a lot of time/energy to cycle on/off/on?

RetiredAt63

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #31 on: November 05, 2014, 04:40:26 PM »
First thing in the morning, 20C, an hour later, down to 19C, at bedtime 16C.  Now that the sun is low the house can be at 23C on a sunny day, furnace never comes on.  I close blinds at night to keep some heat in.

mydogismyheart

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #32 on: November 05, 2014, 05:12:39 PM »
Lately I've had it at about 65-66 and that's been perfect.  Last night I did turn it up to 70 only because I have a new rescue dog from the shelter and I had to give her a bath, she barely tolerated the bath let alone a blow dryer.  So she was damp and it was cold last night.  I put an extra fleece blanket in her kennel and turned up the temp for her so she wouldn't shiver.  But first thing this morning it went back to 65.

The Mobile Mustachian

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #33 on: November 05, 2014, 05:20:57 PM »
I'm the first to say I hate the cold. I keep the thermostat at 70, but I've done a lot to improve energy efficiency. A Mustachian friend of mine keeps his house at 60 like a true boss.

Fodder

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #34 on: November 05, 2014, 07:08:36 PM »
Constant 17C (62.6F).  I have little kids and a geothermal unit, which means I won't set the temp any lower, and that I need to keep it relatively constant.

Why is it that you need to keep it constant? I know you don't get intense high temps out of a heat pump so is it just that it would take far too long to heat back up? Or does the unit take a lot of time/energy to cycle on/off/on?

It is all in the designed. A typical gas furnace is overkill for the house and is able to heat it quickly with short bouts of hot air. The geothermal system is designed specifically for the space and takes a lot longer to change temperatures. On very cold days (-25c) my furnace runs almost constantly (And our home is quite well insulated). The warm air that comes out of the vents is not nearly as warm as a fuel fired appliance.

Some reading:
http://www.geothermaldealer.com/2011/04/do-programmable-thermostats-work-on-geothermal/

http://www.geojerry.com/thermostat.html

It is a bit different thinking for sure...but considering the size of home, the costs are relatively reasonable for the area.

kscubz

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #35 on: November 05, 2014, 07:57:51 PM »
I don't set my thermostat at all. I simply don't fire up the furnace at all but I live in the relatively mild climate of the San Francisco Bay area.

My house has the thinnest single pane windows you have ever seen, and is not particular well insulated. But even on the rare nights where it gets below freezing, the coldest it has ever got inside my house was 45. I simply throw on an extra blanket at night and wear a sweater around the house. No big deal. Winter time temps in my house probably average about 55-65 with no heating input from the furnace.

Hotstreak

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #36 on: November 05, 2014, 09:32:01 PM »
Another one for Off.

retired?

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #37 on: November 05, 2014, 09:47:32 PM »
Via programmable.....winter 58-60 overnight, 68 as people are taking showers getting ready for the day (about 2 hours) back to 66 during day (one parent is at home, but in and out) then back to 68 for evening.

Summers - 80 upstairs, 78 downstairs.

We use mini space heaters for cold spots or if we have a picky guest.

We've lived in cold (Chicago) and hot (Houston) places and it is amazing what is considered cold/hot in each place, i.e. what one gets used to.

CommonCents

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #38 on: November 05, 2014, 10:08:15 PM »
At night 65 upstairs (60 downstairs).
During the day while gone: 60 (we actually don't turn on the downstairs heat before we go to work)
At night/weekends: 67 downstairs (60 upstairs)

DH might like to set it lower to 64/65 but I point out I have poor circulation, no blubber, and he can get off the couch with the cozy blanket and cook dinner instead of me if my fingers turn even more into a block of ice than they already are.  And I do wear sweaters, slippers and hide under blankets...it's just that some of us don't have good genes on this one.

The_path_less_taken

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #39 on: November 24, 2014, 09:57:53 AM »
Thermostat is set at 45 in the winter due to the woodstove (which also cooks quite a bit of food).

But that makes the back bedroom...brisk, shall we say? (if brisk means that you think your nipples are going to shoot off of your body like flying ice stars)

The solution is found in the title of an old time band: 3 Dog Night. It's derived from a saying in the northern climes...where the nights are so cold you needed to toss a third dog on the bed to stay warm.

I have 4 dogs. Yes...they're not mustacian. Until winter.


prudence

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #40 on: November 24, 2014, 10:34:21 AM »
64 daytime and 58 nights

BooksAreNerdy

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #41 on: November 24, 2014, 10:59:36 AM »
64 in the day. I set it to 66 at night, DH sneaks out of bed to bump it to 68 around 2 am, and I use my Nest phone app to turn it back down to 66. Then when I get up with the kids, I turn it to 64 or off.

ketchup

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #42 on: November 24, 2014, 11:12:09 AM »
68 in the winter.  That's as low as I can get it before the roommates start bitching and put it up to 75.

greaper007

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #43 on: November 24, 2014, 11:36:58 AM »
Summer, I don't use the thermostat.    I have a basement with plenty of light and we just move our beds down there.   Poor man's geothermal!

In the winter I set it at 62 for when my wife is home and drop it to 56 when she's out.    Then it goes down to 52 at night, which I think is very pleasant for sleeping.

Try setting it below 60, you'll find that your body hardens to the colder temperature after a few weeks.    Save the planet and your pocketbook.

Tami1982

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #44 on: November 24, 2014, 11:48:43 AM »
60 degrees.   To those of you who turn it off - aren't you worried about freezing pipes?

jamal utah

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #45 on: November 24, 2014, 11:49:06 AM »
64 24 hours a day.

greaper007

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #46 on: November 24, 2014, 12:01:16 PM »
60 degrees.   To those of you who turn it off - aren't you worried about freezing pipes?

Agreed, they must not live in places that like to dip down to 0 in November...     I'd keep it at at least 45 just to keep the home's mechanicals happy.   That's about as low as most thermostats go.

Another Reader

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #47 on: November 24, 2014, 12:10:07 PM »
Diane C:

I have a large one story house with vaulted ceilings like you do and I'm in the South Bay.  Mine is older, but is insulated and has double pane windows. I keep the house at 68-69 degrees consistently in the winter months, as someone is always home. I have tried turning the heat down at night, but the furnace then runs almost constantly in the morning for two or three hours trying to reach and keep temperature.   It feels very cold at night and I think that contributes to some of the illnesses.  A lot more sore throats and sniffles.  It feels colder in the morning with the furnace running because the surfaces of walls, counters, and floors conduct heat to the material below and stay the temperature of that material. I end up compensating by using an electric heater in the bath area.  If I do not, the mud backed tile shower is freezing. 

In theory, my gas bill should be higher, but there is little if any difference.  My electric bill is slightly lower because even the oil filled radiator heaters draw a lot of current.  I prefer a consistent comfortable temperature and I don't seem to be paying much extra to get it.

iamadummy

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #48 on: November 24, 2014, 12:22:52 PM »
usually 75 during the day when home.

boarder42

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Re: What to you set the thermostat at?
« Reply #49 on: November 24, 2014, 12:28:00 PM »
62 when home 54 when not.  61 at night