Overnight Thermostat Setting

CallMeKate

CallMeKate

Well-known Member
Location
Mid-Atlantic US
I really didn't think much about this other years, but considering it costs us around $800 every time the oil dude comes around, I'm trying to figure out what the best overnight temp is. I really don't want a fill-up every 5 or 6 weeks at those costs. What do you set the temp at for overnight? I'd been doing 68 (F) but we have good blankets, so I can't see that 66 would be a problem. A couple times I forgot to set it at all and it was 64 when I got up... that was a bit much!
 

We've been keeping ours at 67 degrees F. Even when it goes down to single digits or below zero at night, that temperature seems to be just fine. It stays where you set it, our old furnace thermostat would go down two or three degrees lower before the heat turned on.
 

Gaer said:
I turn off my heat at night. To sleep in the cooler air is better for you.
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Here in the "great frozen northland" at this time of year it would (and has when we've been away overnight) drop into the 50s in the house. I just realized I have no idea the temp at which pipes freeze... that's an issue in my area. Guess I'd better investigate that!
 
CallMeKate said:
Here in the "great frozen northland" at this time of year it would (and has when we've been away overnight) drop into the 50s in the house. I just realized I have no idea the temp at which pipes freeze... that's an issue in my area. Guess I'd better investigate that!
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Yes, If the temperature is going to drop below 20 degrees, I leave a trickle of water in the faucets before I go to bed.
 
I have a heat pump, and the economic strategy is apparently different from conventional heating. I was told to set the temperature I want and leave it there at all times. I shoot for 70 degrees F. Heat pumps are very efficient, but they are not good at sending out blasts of warm air. So bringing a cold house up to daytime temperatures kicks on the auxiliary heat part of the heat pump, so for that period of time what you have is basically just an electric furnace, which is more costly than just allowing the heat pump to maintain.

I was given this information by one installer, and before the heat pump, I heated with wood, so I'm not in a position to figure out a comparison with straight electric on my own. I believe natural gas is about the same cost as a heat pump. But we don't have natural gas around here. We have propane of course, but the cost of that is scary. I've been very pleased with this system. When my bill comes due, it's not annoying, and doesn't hurt my budget.
 
JustDave said:
Heat pumps are very efficient, but they are not good at sending out blasts of warm air. So bringing a cold house up to daytime temperatures kicks on the auxiliary heat part of the heat pump, so for that period of time what you have is basically just an electric furnace, which is more costly than just allowing the heat pump to maintain.
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It's hard for me to get the house warm in the morning, too... it's radiant heat and while I love the concept of it, I was expecting it to be a little quicker at actually heating when we bought the house.
 
I like to be warm at night, but 65°F is okay if I have enough covers, etc. If you don’t like heavy covers, use a couple of polyester-filled comforters or (if you can afford them) down-filled duvets.

Apparently a humidifier can make a room or house feel warmer. But humidifiers cost money to run too. You could consider hanging your laundry indoors (instead of using a dryer) to raise the humidity a bit. It's a delicate dance. Where I live, I try to keep the humidity between 25% and 30%; any higher and I get ice on the windows, which leads to other problems. Hygrometers are very cheap.
 
I'm in California obviously. I don't run the heat at night. The coldest it ever got in the house I owned was 52 degrees. So far in this apartment, it's been 64 degrees, upstairs. I didn't run the heat at night.

When I lived in Olympia Washington, I'd let the baseboard heat run on low when it got really cold at night.
 
Remy said:
I'm in California obviously. I don't run the heat at night. The coldest it ever got in the house I owned was 52 degrees. So far in this apartment, it's been 64 degrees, upstairs. I didn't run the heat at night.

When I lived in Olympia Washington, I'd let the baseboard heat run on low when it got really cold at night.
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It's been downright cold at night where we are. Mid 40s and lower. Definitely need the heat on. (It's 9:16 AM right now and 42° outside.)
 


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