new thermostat ,digital or a regular one ?

#1
governmentmule

governmentmule

as always Go Lady Vols :clapping:
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#1
I have to replace my thermostat,again,I replaced the old one because of the temperature swings,it would go 5 degrees either way

now the one I replaced it with is doing the same thing,it was around 10 years ago when I replaced it

would a digital one be better ? I'm not worried about having a programmable one,I'm pretty good about turning it down,when I go to sleep

I will set it pretty low and use an extra blanket,to keep it from running so often at night,but it ran for almost 2 hours this morning to get back up to 68 degrees

I'm not sure if that is saving a lot of money or not,I cut it back to 60 degrees at night and when I woke up,it was under 55 degrees

and it had to run a long time to get caught up,I live in a hollar and don't get any sunshine till around 11 in the morning this time of year,so it stays pretty cold and then the shade hits around 3 in the afternoon

is it worth it,cost wise,to turn it down that low at night ?

let me know what ya'll think is the better thermostat

actually I need to replace the back door to help with energy cost,but that will have to wait,I'm going to get some winterizing stuff in a week or two and will be buying a new thermostat then too

so let me know your experiences with a thermostat and what brand you are using too ,any help will be appreciated :hi:
 
#2
#2
Last one I bought was a digital. Nothing particularly fancy, hunter was the brand. Worked really well.

Moved in our new house and it also has a digital that works really well.
 
#3
#3
I've always been told energy wise it's best to set it to whatever temp you prefer and leave it there. Like you said it ran for quite a while to catch up and this uses more energy.

Never had any problem with a simple Honeywell digital thermostat.
 
#4
#4
I have 3 digital ones in my house. I really think their value is shown if your house is insulated really well. Mine retains heat and cold well, and we don't have large temp swings throughout the day.

I can program our preferred temp for when we will be in the house. A well insulated house will not take long to heat up or cool down. I highly encourage plenty of inflation and weather stripping around doors and windows.
 
#5
#5
I'm going to redo some door insulation and and i have double pane for the windows,but i need to tape em up,since they leak cold air,it isn't much,but you can feel it on the bitter cold nights

my back door just flat out sucks and i can't afford another one for it,come to think of it,i haven't priced one in a while,I need to look into that

I know that Honeywell is a solid name in thermostats coug,is digital better than just a plain one ?I do lose power fairly regular during the winter,would that affect the settings on a digital one? as far as when the power comes back on,will it still be set at the same temperature ?

there is many a night that the power goes out,when the temp had dropped below 0 ,was that last year ? I put on my long johns and piled every blanket and a sleeping bag on the bed and went back to sleep,i survived lol

hmm i have a propane heater,that I need to break out and hook it up and make sure it is working right,come to think of it and get another tank,just in case

if it snows hard and the roads are blocked,it will be a couple of days before I can either get out of here or somebody make it in,I'm out in the sticks,with a suck ass hilly road :)
 
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#6
#6
governmentmule said:
I'm going to redo some door insulation and and i have double pane for the windows,but i need to tape em up,since they leak cold air,it isn't much,but you can feel it on the bitter cold nights

my back door just flat out sucks and i can't afford another one for it,come to think of it,i haven't priced one in a while,I need to look into that
Click to expand...

I got a really nice glass storm door installed last year that helped the regular back door keep air out. It was something like $250 at Lowes. I'm not sure of your setup, but that may be an affordable alternative.
 
#7
#7
I will probably be looking to sell the place,which I'm unsure of right at the moment,so I'm not looking to put a lot into the place

especially since i have some major reflooring to be done in the kitchen and bathroom first

I have been told to take the frame out(it is metal) and place it between some straight 2x4s and hammer it :)
 
#8
#8
governmentmule said:
I'm going to redo some door insulation and and i have double pane for the windows,but i need to tape em up,since they leak cold air,it isn't much,but you can feel it on the bitter cold nights

my back door just flat out sucks and i can't afford another one for it,come to think of it,i haven't priced one in a while,I need to look into that

I know that Honeywell is a solid name in thermostats coug,is digital better than just a plain one ?I do lose power fairly regular during the winter,would that affect the settings on a digital one? as far as when the power comes back on,will it still be set at the same temperature ?

there is many a night that the power goes out,when the temp had dropped below 0 ,was that last year ? I put on my long johns and piled every blanket and a sleeping bag on the bed and went back to sleep,i survived lol

hmm i have a propane heater,that I need to break out and hook it up and make sure it is working right,come to think of it and get another tank,just in case

if it snows hard and the roads are blocked,it will be a couple of days before I can either get out of here or somebody make it in,I'm out in the sticks,with a suck ass hilly road :)
Click to expand...

Yes, they maintain the last temperature setting when the power comes back on.
 
#9
#9
thanks,I was wondering about that,is there a battery back up for that to happen ?
 
#10
#10
#12
#12
Mule,

I have digital, programmable thermostats. I am in a similar situation where I don't get sun until late morning and lose it earlier in the evening. Our house is empty for the most part during the work day. I thought a programmable thermostat would really help with energy savings. We could set it to adjust lower at night and come back up a few minutes before we get up in the morning. Then go back down when we leave for work/school, then come back on a few minutes before we get home. It all works beautifully, in the winter. We have gas heat and it responds very quickly to fill the air with warmth. Heat pumps do not do this as well. They have to resort to electric coil heat to warm the air quicker, which is very inefficient and costly.

Now in the summertime, in air-conditioning season, it doesn't work so well. Your house and everything in it becomes sort of a battery for storing heat. I found that if I let my house get to 80 while away during the day, it would take 6 or more hours to get the house comfortable again. So, we have different programs for summer and winter.
 
#13
#13
I have an electric furnace for the heat,i replaced the old one last year,with a new to me one,it is the same one as I had,but it was a freebie and had been checked out by an electrician and solved some problems that my old one had
 
#15
#15
Get a wifi-enabled honeywell. You can turn down the AC from your phone without your wife seeing you fiddling with the thermostat. Honeywell's basic model is <$100 and has all features just no touchscreen. The wifi ones do require a power lead (a good thing if you have it).
 
#17
#17
governmentmule said:
I have an electric furnace for the heat,i replaced the old one last year,with a new to me one,it is the same one as I had,but it was a freebie and had been checked out by an electrician and solved some problems that my old one had
Click to expand...

If you have electric heat, I wouldn't recommend turning the heat down and up. It will be expensive to try and recover the heat. You may be able to do it but I wouldn't recommend over a 5 degree reduction in temperature.
 
#18
#18
that is what I'm planning on doing InVoluntary

and I have two heat tapes that I need to feed,when I plug them in,I think the bill goes up
 
#19
#19
is there any point in shutting an interior room off? I've done it before,but I'm not sure how much if any it saved me

you could feel the cold on the wall next to it,so i'm not sure about it saving any money
 
#20
#20
governmentmule said:
is there any point in shutting an interior room off? I've done it before,but I'm not sure how much if any it saved me

you could feel the cold on the wall next to it,so i'm not sure about it saving any money
Click to expand...
It should save you some money. Anything you're not heating is a bonus. We do that by shutting off the vents in the spare bedroom and close the door. That forces more heat into the other rooms.
 
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