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?

"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?

use 10 degree setbacks for best efficiency and least problems

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
news

"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?

use 10 degree setbacks for best efficiency and least problems

OK, but why? Does 15 or 20 plus degrees of heat differential mean the
furnace gets too hot when running to close the gap, or what?

You wont overheat anything, but there is comfort and air circulation to
consider. Yes you will save a bit more but remember you are just heating
it back to the temp you need, btus lost btus added. Opinions vary , I
set back where it realises a 4 hr drop and for comfort and zone unused
areas for less heat. Add insulation for real savings.

Furnace may not be able to get your heat back up in reasonable time and
could lead to frozen pipes in hash weather and a bitchy spouse.


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

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
news

"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?

use 10 degree setbacks for best efficiency and least problems

OK, but why? Does 15 or 20 plus degrees of heat differential mean the
furnace gets too hot when running to close the gap, or what?

"BillC" wrote in message
use 10 degree setbacks for best efficiency and least problems

OK, but why? Does 15 or 20 plus degrees of heat differential mean the
furnace gets too hot when running to close the gap, or what?

Heat is constantly seeking cold to achieve equilibrium. The house is warmer
than the outside, so heat is traveling out of the building. You add heat as
needed by burning fuel.

Stored heat (sensible heat) is heat that has been absorbed over time. If you
allow the air temperature to go too low, the stored heat from the
furnishings, fixtures, etc, is also given off. The time to restore it all
is making the heater work longer overall than a 10 degree setback.

BillC wrote:
"Noon-Air" wrote in message
news

"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?

use 10 degree setbacks for best efficiency and least problems

OK, but why? Does 15 or 20 plus degrees of heat differential mean the
furnace gets too hot when running to close the gap, or what?

If you have a heat pump, 8-10 is likely to produce the best savings in
most areas. A larger setback can cause more time in supplemental heat mode
where it is less efficient.

For resistance heat, every degree of additional setback will save money,
but too much could cause damage to pipes and furniture. With the addition
of a grand piano my nightly setback has been reduced.

For gas heat, like I have, you still can have some reduction in
efficiency, but for the most part the problem is the secondary effects. I
would stick to 15 or less.


--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"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?


First what fuel are you using? Do you have an time of day demand meter?
Can you and yours stand the temp swings?
Longer times off and larger temp differences, mean it takes longer to get
back to the set point.

Here in Az the utilities say " more than 5 degrees for more than 8 hours
saves more than 10%. However there is an limit to this and doubling the
temp and time will not necessary mean double the savings.

"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.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message

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.

Often people will say that this floor is cooler than that floor. Yes, it
may feel that way but no, it is the same temperature. It is all about heat
transfer.

A wood or ceramic floor will FEEL cooler than a carpeted floor. Why?
Because your body is 98 degrees, the floor is about 70 degrees. Heat is
always trying to transfer to the cooler spots. When you step on carpet, you
are suspended by a network if fibers and plenty of air gaps for insulation.
When you step on a wood floor, you have more contact with your skin and more
heat is being pulled from your body. Ceramic will pull the heat faster than
wood or vinyl.

One more thing since we are discussing heat and comfort. Turning up the
thermostat to a higher setting is not going to heat the room any faster. The
burner is either on, putting out as much heat as it can, or off, putting out
no heat. Cranking up the dial won't make the burner fire any hotter.

I used to be the first in the office where I worked and turned the heat on.
Then one of the ladies would com in, turn up the thermostat. Then another
would come in and turn it up more, then a third would to the same. I'd go
turn it to th e normal setting and they jump all over me because they
suddenly felt cold even though the heat was still running the same way.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:cVRhd.4401$Ak2.2203@trndny02...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message

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.

Often people will say that this floor is cooler than that floor. Yes, it
may feel that way but no, it is the same temperature. It is all about
heat
transfer.

A wood or ceramic floor will FEEL cooler than a carpeted floor. Why?
Because your body is 98 degrees, the floor is about 70 degrees. Heat is
always trying to transfer to the cooler spots. When you step on carpet,
you
are suspended by a network if fibers and plenty of air gaps for
insulation.
When you step on a wood floor, you have more contact with your skin and
more
heat is being pulled from your body. Ceramic will pull the heat faster
than
wood or vinyl.

One more thing since we are discussing heat and comfort. Turning up the
thermostat to a higher setting is not going to heat the room any faster.
The
burner is either on, putting out as much heat as it can, or off, putting
out
no heat. Cranking up the dial won't make the burner fire any hotter.

I used to be the first in the office where I worked and turned the heat
on.
Then one of the ladies would com in, turn up the thermostat. Then another
would come in and turn it up more, then a third would to the same. I'd go
turn it to th e normal setting and they jump all over me because they
suddenly felt cold even though the heat was still running the same way.

I'm all for equality, but there is something seriously wrong with the way wo
men control heating systems. My ex wife *and* he woman I'm seeing now both
do the same thing if it's too hot or cold in the car: They turn off the
whole system. They only seem to be aware of the fan control, and it's
useless trying to explain that other funny knob. "Ya know....it doesn't have
to be off or on. You can adjust the temp control somewhere in between...."
No reaction. Vacant stare.

Years ago, when I worked in a large office, the women were forever turning
the temp up and down, all day long. The boss finally put a locked box over
the thermostat, set it for 68, and suggested sweaters. We came close to
having an armed uprising, but they got over it.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
Years ago, when I worked in a large office, the women were forever turning
the temp up and down, all day long. The boss finally put a locked box over
the thermostat, set it for 68, and suggested sweaters. We came close to
having an armed uprising, but they got over it.

They turned it DOWN??? A woman actually turned it down? Must have been
about 50 and had hot flashes.

One woman was always looking at a little thermometer she had on her desk.
If it said 70, she turned up the heat. One day when she went to lunch, we
pushed the glass up a little so it read about 3 degrees higher. Problem
solved.

BillC wrote:
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?

For conventionally fueled systems (oil, natural gas) the longer you leave
the furnace off, the more you will save. All the "maximum setback" talk is
just noise, without any basis in scientific fact.

Courtesy: http://www.nol.org/home/NEO/sept2001/sept003.html

"Heating and Cooling Myths
A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works
harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after
the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This
misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies.
The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is
roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower
temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes
at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your
house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save. "

I believe it is the opposite for furnace run time and wear, most of your
wear is in turning on the furnace, in other words long cycles are better
for less wear on components. So the OP wont wear out components faster,
just the opposite.

it is an absolute biological fact. women have a temperature range of about
0.2 degrees where they are comfortable. go above that and they turn on the
ac. go below that and they turn on the heater. what makes it worse is that
not all women have the same baseline temperature, but all only allow for .2
degree swings. get the wrong two women in a room together and blood will be
shed.

randy


Years ago, when I worked in a large office, the women were forever turning
the temp up and down, all day long. The boss finally put a locked box over
the thermostat, set it for 68, and suggested sweaters. We came close to
having an armed uprising, but they got over it.

Frozen pipes yes Bob , very bloody likely, when it is - 20f we open our
cabinets under the sink and some people even leave a drip. At -20f ive
seen mains freeze and pipes in enclosed cabinets freeze because of no
air circulation. Even at zero f. precautions must be taken. At - 20 he
will wake up to a 45 f house if it doesnt have great insulation, and
outside walls will be alot colder.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

Stored heat (sensible heat) is heat that has been absorbed over time. If you
allow the air temperature to go too low, the stored heat from the
furnishings, fixtures, etc, is also given off.

That happens whenever the room temp drops. There is no threshold.

The time to restore it all is making the heater work longer overall
than a 10 degree setback.

Every setback saves money and energy, no matter how small or short,
even a 0.1 F 10 minute setback.

Nick

"Bob Loblaw" wrote in message
...
Frozen pipes??? When you setback the t/stat by 20 degrees???
Not bloody likley when water freezes at 32 degrees F.

Respectfully, Bob

Ya....OK...It's 50 at the t-stat.

Who says the temp at the pipe in the basement, you know the one that runs
right next to that crappy basement window, isn't 25 degrees?

On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 17:34:03 -0500, nospam@home wrote:


"Bob Loblaw" wrote in message
...
Frozen pipes??? When you setback the t/stat by 20 degrees???
Not bloody likley when water freezes at 32 degrees F.

Respectfully, Bob

Ya....OK...It's 50 at the t-stat.

Who says the temp at the pipe in the basement, you know the one that runs
right next to that crappy basement window, isn't 25 degrees?


The guy he rents it out to ?



Paul ( pjm @ pobox . com ) - remove spaces to email me
'Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.'

HVAC/R program for Palm PDA's
Free demo now available online http://pmilligan.net/palm/
Free Temperature / Pressure charts for 38 Ref's http://pmilligan.net/pmtherm/

wrote in message
The time to restore it all is making the heater work longer overall
than a 10 degree setback.

Every setback saves money and energy, no matter how small or short,
even a 0.1 F 10 minute setback.

Nick

There have been test showing a diminishing return and a bell on the curve
below a certain point. I don't recall where I saw them but you may want to
look it up if you doubt it. .

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
om...

wrote in message
The time to restore it all is making the heater work longer overall
than a 10 degree setback.

Every setback saves money and energy, no matter how small or short,
even a 0.1 F 10 minute setback.

Nick

There have been test showing a diminishing return and a bell on the curve
below a certain point. I don't recall where I saw them but you may want to
look it up if you doubt it. .



Your claim..........

Ask you provide the sites then.

We turn the heat pump OFF at 5:00 every day.

It might cycle for a loooong time once its turned back on at 7:am the next
morning, but its sole task is to bring heat into the building, and
irrevelant is the amount of heat the structure is able to store, or that it
loses during the period the heat source is shut off.

--

SVL

If I remember, this question was about the "setback" when programming
a thermostat. The question was quickly, or originally confused with the
"differential setting" of a programmable thermostat.
No one has pointed out that some (at least one that I know about) have
a "differential setting" that can be programmed. That value is
nominally set to "10" on the stats I've programmed, and the value is,
I think, 10x the on/off degree difference for the system. This is
sometimes called an anticipator setting, I think.
The 10 "degree setting" that the original writer heard about on a
radio show (or somewhere) for the "differential" has NOTHING to do with
how low a thermostat should be setback.
Perhaps someone who has access to the original posting can check this
out, since I am not an expert in heating systems. Because of this,
I have been waiting for an expert to comment; since that does not seem
to be happening, I'll take a chance that my understanding of the
"differential" setting on a programmable thermostat is correct. --Phil

--
Phil Munro Dept of Electrical & Computer Engin
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, Ohio 44555

"Phil Munro" wrote in message
...
If I remember, this question was about the "setback" when programming
a thermostat. The question was quickly, or originally confused with the
"differential setting" of a programmable thermostat.
No one has pointed out that some (at least one that I know about) have
a "differential setting" that can be programmed. That value is
nominally set to "10" on the stats I've programmed, and the value is,
I think, 10x the on/off degree difference for the system. This is
sometimes called an anticipator setting, I think.
The 10 "degree setting" that the original writer heard about on a
radio show (or somewhere) for the "differential" has NOTHING to do with
how low a thermostat should be setback.
Perhaps someone who has access to the original posting can check this
out, since I am not an expert in heating systems. Because of this,
I have been waiting for an expert to comment; since that does not seem
to be happening, I'll take a chance that my understanding of the
"differential" setting on a programmable thermostat is correct. --Phil

Good point...These are the settings I use

normal setback 10 degrees

Differential on programmable stats (single stage gas/electric)normal 1.0 to
1.5 degrees
Differential on mechanical stats (single stage gas/electric) 2 - 5 degrees

heat pumps and 2 stage will normally be 1 - 2 degrees differential on the
first stage with the second stage being 3 - 5 degrees below the set point.

Other folks may use different settings...your milage may vary.

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
...

"Phil Munro" wrote in message
...
If I remember, this question was about the "setback" when programming
a thermostat. The question was quickly, or originally confused with the
"differential setting" of a programmable thermostat.
No one has pointed out that some (at least one that I know about) have
a "differential setting" that can be programmed. That value is
nominally set to "10" on the stats I've programmed, and the value is,
I think, 10x the on/off degree difference for the system. This is
sometimes called an anticipator setting, I think.
The 10 "degree setting" that the original writer heard about on a
radio show (or somewhere) for the "differential" has NOTHING to do with
how low a thermostat should be setback.
Perhaps someone who has access to the original posting can check this
out, since I am not an expert in heating systems. Because of this,
I have been waiting for an expert to comment; since that does not seem
to be happening, I'll take a chance that my understanding of the
"differential" setting on a programmable thermostat is correct. --Phil

Good point...These are the settings I use

normal setback 10 degrees

Differential on programmable stats (single stage gas/electric)normal 1.0
to
1.5 degrees
Differential on mechanical stats (single stage gas/electric) 2 - 5 degrees

heat pumps and 2 stage will normally be 1 - 2 degrees differential on the
first stage with the second stage being 3 - 5 degrees below the set point.

Other folks may use different settings...your milage may vary.



Now, you have to factor in personalities. I'm happy sleeping in a tent at 35
degrees, with a serious sleeping bag. At home I'd be happy with the house at
50, since I have a down comforter that was apparently designed for the
Arctic.

My significant other - she's a different story. She thinks the comforter is
too warm. But, she bases this opinion on how it feels when we first get in
bed. At that time, the house hasn't cooled down yet. I could outline my plan
for dealing with this, but as we've already established earlier in the
discussion, there is no logic to how women perceive temperature.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
...

"Phil Munro" wrote in message
...
If I remember, this question was about the "setback" when programming
a thermostat. The question was quickly, or originally confused with
the
"differential setting" of a programmable thermostat.
No one has pointed out that some (at least one that I know about)
have
a "differential setting" that can be programmed. That value is
nominally set to "10" on the stats I've programmed, and the value is,
I think, 10x the on/off degree difference for the system. This is
sometimes called an anticipator setting, I think.
The 10 "degree setting" that the original writer heard about on a
radio show (or somewhere) for the "differential" has NOTHING to do with
how low a thermostat should be setback.
Perhaps someone who has access to the original posting can check this
out, since I am not an expert in heating systems. Because of this,
I have been waiting for an expert to comment; since that does not seem
to be happening, I'll take a chance that my understanding of the
"differential" setting on a programmable thermostat is correct. --Phil

Good point...These are the settings I use

normal setback 10 degrees

Differential on programmable stats (single stage gas/electric)normal 1.0
to
1.5 degrees
Differential on mechanical stats (single stage gas/electric) 2 - 5
degrees

heat pumps and 2 stage will normally be 1 - 2 degrees differential on the
first stage with the second stage being 3 - 5 degrees below the set
point.

Other folks may use different settings...your milage may vary.



Now, you have to factor in personalities. I'm happy sleeping in a tent at
35
degrees, with a serious sleeping bag. At home I'd be happy with the house
at
50, since I have a down comforter that was apparently designed for the
Arctic.

My significant other - she's a different story. She thinks the comforter
is
too warm. But, she bases this opinion on how it feels when we first get in
bed. At that time, the house hasn't cooled down yet. I could outline my
plan
for dealing with this, but as we've already established earlier in the
discussion, there is no logic to how women perceive temperature.

When I install a programmable stat, I do the initial installer programming,
I don't mess with the factory default time/temp settings, and leave the
owners manual (not the installers instructions) with owner.... after that,
they are on their own. You can do what you want.

Haven't been up north much, eh? :-)

"Bob Loblaw" wrote in message
...
Frozen pipes??? When you setback the t/stat by 20 degrees???
Not bloody likley when water freezes at 32 degrees F.

Respectfully, Bob

Art wrote:
Furnace may not be able to get your heat back up in reasonable time and
could lead to frozen pipes in hash weather and a bitchy spouse.

OK, but why? Does 15 or 20 plus degrees of heat differential mean the
furnace gets too hot when running to close the gap, or what?

I only turn back about 4-5 degs as it just has to run that much more to
catch up and you are not saving anything, I leave the fan on 24-7.

Tom


"Art" wrote in message
link.net...
Furnace may not be able to get your heat back up in reasonable time and
could lead to frozen pipes in hash weather and a bitchy spouse.


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

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
news

"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?

use 10 degree setbacks for best efficiency and least problems

OK, but why? Does 15 or 20 plus degrees of heat differential mean the
furnace gets too hot when running to close the gap, or what?

twfsa wrote:

I only turn back about 4-5 degs as it just has to run that much more to
catch up and you are not saving anything...

Wrong.

I leave the fan on 24-7.

Wrong.

Nick

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message ...

Now, you have to factor in personalities. I'm happy sleeping in a tent at 35
degrees, with a serious sleeping bag. At home I'd be happy with the house at
50, since I have a down comforter that was apparently designed for the
Arctic.

My significant other - she's a different story. She thinks the comforter is
too warm. But, she bases this opinion on how it feels when we first get in
bed. At that time, the house hasn't cooled down yet. I could outline my plan
for dealing with this, but as we've already established earlier in the
discussion, there is no logic to how women perceive temperature.

Suggest you limit your athletics to places other than under the
comforter. Prior to insertion between the sheets, remain above the
covers scantilly clad for several minutes of inactivity while herself
and everything else has a cooldown period. Once she feels a bit cold,
get into the cold bed. Now, because the body is a bit chilled, the bed
takes a few minutes before feeling warm and when it does, it is a
welcome sensation so the comforter doesn't feel like a nuisance.

Sometimes I'm hot right after I get into bed. Logically, I know that
I'll need all the covers later in the night and that it is not wise to
completely remove layers just because I'm feeling hot in the short
term. I find that I can flop the covers back from my chest and leave
just the sheet up to my neck, even without disturbing how the covers
lay on my wife. Sometimes I'll put one arm out above the covers as a
"radiator." The arm will then feel a little cool and help my body
perceive that it's cool, and keeping the hot arm away from the rest of
the body helps reduce the perception of "hot." A few minutes before or
after I doze off, my arm or chest will get cold and I'll flip the
covers back over my body, without even waking up if I've already gone
to the land of nod.

%mod%

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 06:31:15 -0600, "twfsa" wrote:

I only turn back about 4-5 degs as it just has to run that much more to
catch up and you are not saving anything, I leave the fan on 24-7.

Tom

You are too saving something. The larger the temp difference between
inside and outside, the more heat moves. You'd probably save more by
turning that fan off when not in use, that could be adding $10 a month
to your electric bill.

The temp stays more constant thru out the house with the fan on 24-7,
especially in the winter, its been on for a year. The fan on my furnace is a
variable speed so its running at a very low speed when the heat or a/c is
not in operation.

Tom


"Chris Hill" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 06:31:15 -0600, "twfsa" wrote:

I only turn back about 4-5 degs as it just has to run that much more to
catch up and you are not saving anything, I leave the fan on 24-7.

Tom

You are too saving something. The larger the temp difference between
inside and outside, the more heat moves. You'd probably save more by
turning that fan off when not in use, that could be adding $10 a month
to your electric bill.

So that's the answer to the "...differential setting [was: Home thermostat
timer} question".

"modervador" wrote in message
om...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

Now, you have to factor in personalities. I'm happy sleeping in a tent
at 35
degrees, with a serious sleeping bag. At home I'd be happy with the
house at
50, since I have a down comforter that was apparently designed for the
Arctic.

My significant other - she's a different story. She thinks the comforter
is
too warm. But, she bases this opinion on how it feels when we first get
in
bed. At that time, the house hasn't cooled down yet. I could outline my
plan
for dealing with this, but as we've already established earlier in the
discussion, there is no logic to how women perceive temperature.

Suggest you limit your athletics to places other than under the
comforter. Prior to insertion between the sheets, remain above the
covers scantilly clad for several minutes of inactivity while herself
and everything else has a cooldown period. Once she feels a bit cold,
get into the cold bed. Now, because the body is a bit chilled, the bed
takes a few minutes before feeling warm and when it does, it is a
welcome sensation so the comforter doesn't feel like a nuisance.

Sometimes I'm hot right after I get into bed. Logically, I know that
I'll need all the covers later in the night and that it is not wise to
completely remove layers just because I'm feeling hot in the short
term. I find that I can flop the covers back from my chest and leave
just the sheet up to my neck, even without disturbing how the covers
lay on my wife. Sometimes I'll put one arm out above the covers as a
"radiator." The arm will then feel a little cool and help my body
perceive that it's cool, and keeping the hot arm away from the rest of
the body helps reduce the perception of "hot." A few minutes before or
after I doze off, my arm or chest will get cold and I'll flip the
covers back over my body, without even waking up if I've already gone
to the land of nod.

%mod%

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 16:04:47 -0600, "twfsa" wrote:

The temp stays more constant thru out the house with the fan on 24-7,
especially in the winter, its been on for a year. The fan on my furnace is a
variable speed so its running at a very low speed when the heat or a/c is
not in operation.


It is still costing you. May not be much, but not much running all
the time may still be a lot. Besides the wear and tear on the motor
itself, and those aren't cheap.

I think the answer is to buy a programmable thermostat that records how long
the furnace runs. Everything being bantered around this discussion is
guesswork.

"Joe Fabeitz" wrote in message
. ..
So that's the answer to the "...differential setting [was: Home thermostat
timer} question".

"modervador" wrote in message
om...
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

Now, you have to factor in personalities. I'm happy sleeping in a tent
at 35
degrees, with a serious sleeping bag. At home I'd be happy with the
house at
50, since I have a down comforter that was apparently designed for the
Arctic.

My significant other - she's a different story. She thinks the
comforter
is
too warm. But, she bases this opinion on how it feels when we first
get
in
bed. At that time, the house hasn't cooled down yet. I could outline
my
plan
for dealing with this, but as we've already established earlier in the
discussion, there is no logic to how women perceive temperature.

Suggest you limit your athletics to places other than under the
comforter. Prior to insertion between the sheets, remain above the
covers scantilly clad for several minutes of inactivity while herself
and everything else has a cooldown period. Once she feels a bit cold,
get into the cold bed. Now, because the body is a bit chilled, the bed
takes a few minutes before feeling warm and when it does, it is a
welcome sensation so the comforter doesn't feel like a nuisance.

Sometimes I'm hot right after I get into bed. Logically, I know that
I'll need all the covers later in the night and that it is not wise to
completely remove layers just because I'm feeling hot in the short
term. I find that I can flop the covers back from my chest and leave
just the sheet up to my neck, even without disturbing how the covers
lay on my wife. Sometimes I'll put one arm out above the covers as a
"radiator." The arm will then feel a little cool and help my body
perceive that it's cool, and keeping the hot arm away from the rest of
the body helps reduce the perception of "hot." A few minutes before or
after I doze off, my arm or chest will get cold and I'll flip the
covers back over my body, without even waking up if I've already gone
to the land of nod.

%mod%

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 18:39:00 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

I think the answer is to buy a programmable thermostat that records how long
the furnace runs. Everything being bantered around this discussion is
guesswork.

Not really; some of us remember physics class, while others seem to
believe that inertia and heating have something in common.