When do you turn on your heat?

[dreams_and_discoveries]

I hold off as long as possible, but it's getting close to heating turning on time now here in London.

[Mrbeardedbigbucks]

So our no heat acclimatization experiment lasted until 11/14. We didn't use any heat for almost 1/2 the month of November. There were many nights when the outside temperature dropped below freezing. The indoor temperature got to as low as 51 F (11c). We both felt that the experiment reached it's tipping point once we had to put on down jackets in the house. We also started to get paranoid about our house plants and electronics starting to die a slow death.

After living for several days with the indoor temperature between 51-60°F, it felt tropical in here when we put the heat at 65°F (18c). I do believe a few days of discomfort will result in less energy use and saving a lot of money in the long run.

This challenge got me thinking about other things in my life that I think I need but in reality they're just a want or something I'm just conditioned to need due to many years of apathy.

My next experiment is to limit smart phone and at home computer use to 1/2 hour per day. I'm afraid this might be more difficult than heat deprivation.

[NinetyFour]

I caved on November 18.  The outside temp was predicted to get down to 17 F (and it did), and I predicted that my inside temp would get closer to 45 than to 50.  That's when I lit the pilot light.  I have the thermostat set at 50.  The heat has kicked on during the wee hours both nights so far.

[Laserjet3051]

43°F outside this morning, bedroom windows slightly cracked, toes feeling a bit icy. Heat? Hell no, not yet.

[martyconlonontherun]

New home owner so first winter controlling the heat. Wife had it at 66. I turned it down to 60 as an experiment. She noticed a little but thought it was fine. I want to compare December (ill be gone so let the wife warm it up to 67) and January (58) at set numbers to see if what the actual cost savings are. (Granted temperature outside will make a huge difference) Just want to see if its saving 10 bucks a month or $100.

[thegardener]

It's been in the 20s at night here, so we've had it on most of November. Last year, we stuck it out the whole month of November without heat and it was cold. Our family thought we were nuts. We keep ours at 60. We could tolerate lower, but we have a basement and we aren't trying to cause frost heaving.

[Mrbeardedbigbucks]

I wanted to revive this post to give a quick update on our heat usage this winter. We turned on the heat in mid-november but we never turned the Nest past 65°F (18°C) the entire winter. Some dry, low humidity days felt cold inside but after a while you definitely acclimate to the new temperature. For some people it's probably normal to live in 65° but for years we typically kept our heat on between 68-70°. Just a 3-5° temperature drop made a big difference in our energy consumption and natural gas bill. We also completely shut the heat off between 9pm-5am most nights.

We only have one small air conditioning window unit in our bedroom and only use it during those long, high humidity heat waves but we're looking forward to not installing it this year. We'll keep all shades closed and the ceiling fan going to keep the bedroom cool.

Everyone in your household has to be on board when you try this experiment but if you haven't challenged your home temperature level yet, I highly recommend it as a way to reduce energy and your monthly expenses.

[TheWifeHalf]

We turn the heat on 3 weeks after the air conditioning goes off. It's been consistently 3 weeks
We bought a 1200 sq ft house in '81, in '92 we added on 2400 sq ft, pus a garage.

The old and new have separate furnaces and air cond units.  When our kids lived here, we ran both, but now that they are gone, we turn on the heat/air to the old part only when we know we will be in that part.(probably 4 days/week)

When we added on, both new and old got new windows, 2 x 6 instead of 2 x 4 outer walls, 30" on insulation in total attic, all outside walls have fiberglass insulation to fill 6" space, 1 1/2" styrofoam insulation, and Tyvec wrap (though I can't remember what went on first, it was in 1992). The new crawl space, and old basement are insulated in various ways.

(We're in NW Ohio. If you're a gardener, it used to be a Zone 5, but now they say a Zone 6)

[pecunia]

I turn my heat on when there is a chance of the pipe's freezing.

Question - Can a lot of money be saved if you keep the heat low and use space heaters in the rooms you occupy?  This may limit your living area, but maybe in the long run there are bucks to be saved.  My grandma's wood stove did not heat the entire house.

[RidetheRain]

I turn my heat on when there is a chance of the pipe's freezing.

Question - Can a lot of money be saved if you keep the heat low and use space heaters in the rooms you occupy?  This may limit your living area, but maybe in the long run there are bucks to be saved.  My grandma's wood stove did not heat the entire house.

Electric space heaters aren't very efficient. That isn't a great option if you live in very cold places (like if your pipes are likely to freeze). But a wood stove isn't a bad option depending on where you are and the amount of space you need to heat. I grew up with a wood stove and the fuel was free because we just chopped down our own trees. My mother still has a $7 electric bill from one January that she pulls out whenever I complain about my electric bill.

[Dragonswan]

I find my gas fireplace in the family room helps tremendously.  I also have a space heater in the master bedroom that allows me not to heat the other 3 bedrooms if the temperature isn't going below 20 F (below that and the heat loss is too rapid and I think the pipes might freeze).  The heat in the bedrooms is electric so not the most efficient regardless.