Quote:
Originally Posted by tycobb73  My friend owns a heating cooling company. He says
The savings from programmable thermostats are overstated
Ceiling fans make a big difference
Now is a great time to buy a new system with the government assistance
If you're going to be gone less than 10 hours don't set your thermos tat to more +- 3 degrees of where you normally have it
Staying in this range, each degree means a 10% decrease in your bill (in MI) |
That's a red herring. I have a friend who owns J&S HVAC in Hemet, and he says they are very good at saving fuel and electricity.
Opinions are like - well, you know.
The biggest problem is letting the building/apartment get heat-soaked - either hot or cold, since then you have to do a lot of make-up temperature adjustment.
To understand that - it takes a lot of energy to get water to 211ºF - just before it boils (at sea level).
But to raise it from 211º to boiling at 212º takes energy to get there on a parabolic expression. The energy used from 210º to 211º is less than 211º TO 212º.
This (above ^) is a rather obtuse way to understand it, but to get back up to that final comfort setting in your apartment from a much lower temp will require more energy if you let it drop too far to a lower temperature.
The consumption may sound small - but on an every day cyclical occurrence, it will add up.
This is why the comfort zone in large commercial buildings is so tightly controlled. Even moderate swings in temps cost a lot of energy and since HVAC is THE top consumer of energy, this is the first place to make substantial energy savings!
I tend to keep my setback thermostat to within about 4-5º of where I want it when I'm up to when I am not. That zone of comfort to me seems to work well and I save considerable energy that way.
Ceiling fans are indeed a great way to equalize the temps in a building so there's no upper hot spots and floor level coldness (Heat ↑ rises).
It really doesn't matter which way they turn either, ↑ or ↓, as long as they mix the upper strata with the lower, unless one likes to feel the air moving, then make them blow down.
Here in the woods at 4000 feet, I use propane - very expensive!
About halfway through last Winter, I put up my programmable unit and immediately I dropped propane usage by about 15%.
So there is a difference if you
intelligently program and set the new style thermostats.
Summary: FANS + PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT = SAVINGS
