On 7 Aug 2004 19:05:51 -0700, (ATL) wrote:

Is there any difference between a digital-programmable thermostat and
the old-fashioned dial thermostat? I am wondering about the
sensitivity of the digital vs. dial. Does anyone have a preference?
If so, why? The reason I ask is that last year I had the dial type,
but replaced it over the winter with a digital. It may be my
imagination, but it just seems that the a/c is kicking on over shorter
intervals than last year.

It depends on the features you get and your schedule. Our digital
thermostat saves us plenty.

We work five days a week and sleep seven nights a week. During both
those times we don't need much heat. The thermostat we got has 4
settings for weekdays (Wake, Leave, Return, Sleep) and 2 settings for
weekends (Wake and Sleep).

We can set the changeover time and temperature for each setting. So
the heat is pretty much off all day weekdays and overnight, except on
the coldest days. (We live in NY City) It's on when we wake up and get
ready to go to work, and when we come home in the evening. On
weekends, it's on all day from the time we get up until midnight or
so. We don't have central air, but the concept is the same. Don't pay
for comfort when you're not home.

There are also thermostats that allow you even more flexibility, with
four settings for each day of the week. This might be handy if you
have a less conventional schedule, but I imagine it's pretty tedious
to program the first time.


Greg Guarino