Van Chocstraw wrote:
mm wrote:
On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:56:01 -0400, Van Chocstraw
wrote:

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Please forgive me while I troll for a moment.....

Is it energy saving to turn the thermostat down, when leaving the
house? I mean, the furnace has to run to catch up when I get home. I
have a way of looking at the matter. I'll explain my point of view
after the argument is underway.

Six of one, half dozen of the other. Depends on how long you are gone.

So if you are gone a long time it's six, and if gone a short time,
it's half a dozen?

Leaving the thermostat at a steady temperature saves energy. On the

ARen't you thinking of gas mileage?
other hand, a lower difference between the inside wall and the
outside wall means lower heat loss. So lowering the thermostat does
save energy in the long run. Now, constantly raising and lowering the
temperature for short periods wastes energy. When you raise it you
have to reheat not only the heating system but the entire inside
wall, floor and ceiling not to mention all the furniture and
appliances. When you lower the thermostat, all those items lose all
their heat again the heat is drawn out into the room and the room
loses it through the walls to the outside. So....use your little noggin.

I will. All the extra things you mention, walls etc. are included
every step of the way. So it saves money to turn down the heat.
Nope. If you lower the thermostat, gone for an hour, takes an hour to
cool off the house, then come home and turn it back up it takes twice as
much energy to heat up the house and all the contents than if you had
left it alone. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Now if you go to Florida for 3 months and turn it down to 50 degrees,
yes you save a bunch.
Hmmm,
What kinda dummy is set the 'stat back when going for an hour.
We're talking about typical situation, all day or all night set back.
Be reasonable. Dig out a research test result done by such as Honeywell
and utility outfits. Saving energy is proven thing no matter what.
Also no matter what, insulating house well is pre-requisite for things
like programmable 'stat. Your argument does not have legs to stand on.
Forget it.