"Ronald'" wrote in message
...
The actual temperature is exactly the same as indicated on the
thermostat - measured with 2 different thermometers. The last I looked,
this thermostat was commonly sold in stores. I called the outfit that
installed the furnace. They now supply a different brand and type of
thermostat. It seems that I will be crawling out of the dark ages.


In that case, the indicator dial is probably off. Set it to 76 to reach 73.
Problem solved.

Best bet is still a programmable if you want to save some heating money. In
my house, they go up to 70 degrees first thing in the morning, then drop
back to 68 for the rest of the day, then to 64 at night for comfortable
sleeping. The heat comes on 15 minutes before I get out of bed. Works
well.