"BillC" wrote in message
link.net...
HI,

I set the thermostat timer for a minimum overnight temperature of 45
degrees, to heat to 70 at 6:30 AM. Effectively, this leaves the furnace
turned off overnight. I figure that saves wear on the furnace / fan and
saves fuel costs overnight.
However, I heard on a radio program that thermostat timers should
only have a max differential of about 8 or 10 degrees.

Anybody know what the best settings are?




Who knows what to believe, but everything I've read says the main reason for
NOT setting such wide temps swings is that it'll produce extra wear on a few
of the furnace's parts. The instructions that came with my thermostat said
4-7 degrees. I tried 10 in the beginning, but the heat ran so long in the
morning that it was stifling in the house. The potted plants were wheezing.

One thing I *have* observed is that your sense of warmth is as much related
to the objects you touch as it is to the temperature of the air. Some years
back, we had an ice storm here which killed power for a week. Once we had
heat again, it took almost 3 days for the objects in the house to warm up
again. Everything we touched made us feel cold, and this was in a heavily
insulated house. Meanwhile, the thermostat cycled normally, saying it was 68
or 70 or whatever we'd set it for.

Anyway....a 25 degree margin doesn't sound right.