In article , CJT
wrote:

Meat Plow wrote:
On Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:41:49 -0800, Joe wrote:


On Dec 17, 9:09 am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Joe" wrote in message

...


are there any programmable thermostats out there that you can
recommend that do better than just the four time a day settings? I
sometimes leave the house for odd hours at a time and I'd like to be
able to override 2 or 3 settings at a time without having to program
each quarter. I'd like to have one that allows me to override the
custom settings for 5 hours or 8 hours or 2 days if needed.

If you're leaving the house, why not just use the "hold" feature and set it
for whatever is the cheapest use? For instance, I work at home, so mine's
set for 68 (heat) most of the day, and 66 at night. But, if I'm gone for a
lengthy period during the day, I hit the hold button and set it for 66.

Mine doesn't have a hold function but that still wouldn't help what I
want to achieve. I want to be able to easily drop it down about 10
degrees for about 8 hours if I know I'm going to be out about 10 hours
then have it gradually increase back up to the normal setting for the
next 2 hours so it's back to normal by the time I'm home. Does a
thermostat like that exist? This is mostly for weekends where it's
impossible to program because I don't know if I'm going to be home or
out that day.


If the best Honeywell stat doesn't do what you want then you're out of
luck.

With a modicum of programming skill and a relay board in your computer,
you could probably create your own thermostat and make it do whatever
you want.

But you'd have to worry about all the possible fault modes, short
cycling, etc.

Where's that damn smart house they've been promising us since 1962? Your
car should tell your house when you're thirty minutes away from home,
and the heat should start ramping up. In fact, with bluetooth in your
socks, it should add another five degrees if your feet are wet.