On Dec 10, 11:51 am, Joe wrote:
I've been experimenting with my thermostat the past couple of weeks to
see how I can save energy. I've noticed that if I keep my thermostat
at 67 degrees my boiler will cycle every hour or two to maintain the
temp - but if I set my thermostat to 66 degrees it will cycle every
4-6 hours. It's been around the 32 degrees outside all week. Is there
a natural temperature that a house can hold for longers periods? If
so, how can I raise that temperature?

Well, the first thing I noticed was a possible problem with your
control variables.

1 - I've been experimenting with my thermostat the past couple of
weeks (i.e. weeks - plural)
2 - It's been around the 32 degrees outside all week (i.e. week -
singular)

Unless it was also around 32 degrees during the first week of your
experiment, those results may be invalid. Assuming everything else
remained constant - insulation, windows, number and duration of times
the doors were opened, hours of sunlight, etc - the outside
temperature would need to be fairly constant over the entire period
that you conducted your tests. In addition, unless your house is tight
enough that nothing but the strongest winds matter, you might have to
factor wind speeds and direction into the equation.

All that said, the obvious things like increasing the amount of
insulation, sealing off drafts, creating wind breaks, etc. would help
your house retain heat longer so that even at 67 or 68 degrees the
furnace would cycle less.