Heat question

**NoDebtMom** · 02-09-2006, 02:03 PM

I usually keep the thermostat 62-65. 65 at night (finally got dh acclimated to it) Occasionally when sun goes down and we are here in evening I will splurge to 68 (which dh prefers) ... When I run errands in the day, I will set it back to 58-60. When I come home (it's cold!), I try and put it up one degree until I get to my comfort zone. Sometimes the "emergency" heat (all electric house and heat) will kick on. Dh says the emergency heat costs more to use then just keeping it on a reasonable number when I am gone. When I do see the emergency heat come on, I will turn it down a degree... but sometimes it is darn cold... anyone do this?

**canadian gardener** · 02-09-2006, 03:11 PM

wow, you belong in the frozen north here woman!!!!

that is pretty good thermostat levels. I don't even get that low.

Seriously though, my dh works for the electric utility, and we work at saving on both electric and nat gas (our heat source).

The one problem you may run into is by letting your emergency heater kick in, it takes more energy to raise a house 5 degrees or more (don't know what the emergency one is set to)

than if you kept it low and steady at several more degrees than 58 to 60. Below 60 is a bit cold and that is probably setting off the emergency heater.

You are doing great with the night time setback, and when you aren't around, using a lower temp. Try the night time low for when you are gone in the day.

Bump it up just a touch so that you aren't setting off the emergency heater.

that way you can save by keeping it at a pretty steady temperature and using the lower temps at night and when people are gone (but not low enough to kick in that emergency heater)

It's the bringing it up a lot that uses up more heat than just keeping it steady with a 2 or 3 degree shift for night and away times.

**canadian gardener** · 02-09-2006, 03:15 PM

we run 65 at night and 68 in the day right now. I could go a few degrees lower.

And during the day dh and I have it set to drop to 65 and I just wear warmer stuff. Evenings it's 68 again.

**Dedlered** · 02-09-2006, 03:16 PM

We run ours 68 during the day when we are home and 62 at night or when we are not home. We use a programable thermostat

**webjoba** · 02-09-2006, 04:02 PM

Mine runs at 60 during the day and overnight - I turn it up to 65 between 5 and 10 each evening.

I sometimes wonder if it would be better to just leave it at 62/63 all the time but I am trying to economize as much as I can. Using a blanket if I lie on the sofa to watch a movie or read a book. Taking long walks to warm me up. Also wearing thermals in the house. I am almost in Canada after all!

My budget plan payment for propane (which heats the house and hot water) is $175 a month over 11 months = $1925 a year. I want to get that figure down. My electric is going down - I reduced it over the last six months from $75 a month to around $58 a month.

Wish I could these amounts lower. Its an awful lot of money to stay warm!

**rebecca** · 02-09-2006, 06:08 PM

I keep mine between 62 and 64 during the day. At night 59. Yes, at times I am freezing, but a high gas bill would kill me financially!

**Pepper** · 02-09-2006, 06:21 PM

Ours stays at 68. Day and Night. We have nat. gas though and I have been debating with myself over whether to lower it a few more degrees or not. Gas bills are outrageous and we are cold all the time, sometimes worse than others.

Our last gas bill was $190.83 and January was a seasonably warm month here

**pkellyc** · 02-09-2006, 07:33 PM

I have oil heat and keep it at 69 during the day and 67 at night. And we are still cold.

**schellie69** · 02-17-2006, 11:01 AM

i leave mine set at 68 all the time due to sons health problems it is still chily sometimes but keeping it at a constant level seems that the heater does not turn on and off as much as when I was lowering and rising it. we only use nat gas for heating everything else in the house is electric dh and I are going to start saving for a he ac and heater for next year which we see as a good investment it will increase the value of the house and also cut on our utilitiy bills so that is are goal and we are insulating a room as money lets us. I also went around the house on a really cold day and felt for drafhs and cold spots and have been working on getting those taken care of.