More Musings and Random Ramblings

[tallyho8]

Imagine if you had your heat set to 72 and your cool set to 72. When the temperature got up to 73 your a/c would turn on, bring the temp down to 71 and then cut off. Then your heat would turn on, bring the temp to 73 and turn off. Then your a/c would turn on, bring the temp to 71 and cut off, then your heat.....................

38 years in the a/c business taught me this.

 

[milkman636]

In between heating and cooling there is always that range of temperatures where the windows should be open to enjoy nature from inside the house. When it's between 50 and 80 outside we have some combination of windows open and thermostats off. Always figured the auto settings were just there for people that prefer not to open windows.

 

[ovrszd]

Our heat set to 62 (summer), 66 (winter)... A/C 78. Augment with a gas fireplace in the living room.

Yeah, your heat set doesn't count since you are only using it for backup.

I can't sleep in 78F temp. Well,,,, I can,,,, but I'm not going to....

 

[ovrszd]

I don't believe that's true, at least not with all thermostats. Our new system came with a Nest, smart thermostat. It specifically calls for different temperatures between the heating and cooling cycles. I believe my previous one (non-Nest) also called for different temperatures.

You are correct. A "smart" thermostat can do all kinds of things. Highly debated as to whether that results in better efficiency. Probably also dependent on location and weather swings that it's competing with.

 

[ovrszd]

It should NOT be up to the tStat or the company that makes them to determine any of the setting ranges. That should be determined ONLY by the end user and the equipment they have installed.

I had a smart thermostat on a split unit for a few years that was much more intelligent than I. I'm a constant temp guy, no use for a thermostat that changes settings depending on what time and/or day it is.

 

[ovrszd]

Imagine if you had your heat set to 72 and your cool set to 72. When the temperature got up to 73 your a/c would turn on, bring the temp down to 71 and then cut off. Then your heat would turn on, bring the temp to 73 and turn off. Then your a/c would turn on, bring the temp to 71 and cut off, then your heat.....................

38 years in the a/c business taught me this.

That is almost to the word what my installer told me. He ended by saying, "in your situation I think you should set it to heat or cool, not Auto."

We have hydronic floor heat propane fired on it's own thermostat. Also have HVAC that is propane fired and uses air to air heat pump on it's own thermostat. The HVAC unit controls our house 9 months out of the year. Floor Heat controls the other 3.

 

[ovrszd]

In between heating and cooling there is always that range of temperatures where the windows should be open to enjoy nature from inside the house. When it's between 50 and 80 outside we have some combination of windows open and thermostats off. Always figured the auto settings were just there for people that prefer not to open windows.

We are outdoorsy people. I spend 3 awake hours a day in our house. We've been in our new house 16 months. Not a single window has been opened. Don't even have the screens on them, distorts the view.

 

[gsganzer]

In between heating and cooling there is always that range of temperatures where the windows should be open to enjoy nature from inside the house. When it's between 50 and 80 outside we have some combination of windows open and thermostats off. Always figured the auto settings were just there for people that prefer not to open windows.

I love the fall when you start getting cooler weather and can sleep with the windows open. I always contemplated installing a whole house fan. I bet you could shave another month or two from your A/C budget by using one during the transitional seasons.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Hmmm...thermostats are not the problem; women in the house are the problem. Sharn Jean burns me up in the Winter and freezes my azz off in the Summer. Currently, we keep the house at 72 in the daytime and down to 71 at night. In Winter, it depends on hot flashes, etc.

We're total electric here, so we get a break on our electric bill, and I had the unit installed inside in the middle of the house for efficiency's sake, but even so, until I put an extra 8 inches of insulation in the attic and added storm doors and windows, our bill in the Winter would make your eyes water.

 

[ovrszd]

It doesn't matter what you heat a poorly built house with.

It doesn't matter what you heat a well built house with.