Allowing Overnight Temps to Get Low at Night Efficient?

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skobydog
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Post by skobydog » Thu. Oct. 19, 2017 10:17 pm

I have my thermostat to 68 degrees overnight and 74 to wake up. With my hand-fed and small stoker I wasn't able to vary the temperature as much.

Are there any drawbacks from letting the house cool down overnight? Is it more efficient to keep the house cool and blast it the morning or to just keep the house a little warmer overnight to avoid temperature variances?


 
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davidmcbeth3
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Post by davidmcbeth3 » Thu. Oct. 19, 2017 10:22 pm

http://mspplumbingheatingair.com/blog/3-dumb-thin ... -you-money

Heating or cooling.....adj temps can save $$$ ...

Thats why they make programmable thermostats.

Coal, heating oil, etc...all the same.

 
grumpy
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Post by grumpy » Thu. Oct. 19, 2017 10:30 pm

When your home will be empty for 8 hours or longer, set your thermostat 5°-8° higher in the summer and 10°-15° lower in the winter.
When you get home, set the thermostat back to your comfortable setting.
I agree with this but 15* seems like a lot, my house would take a long time to reheat, I have a lot of thermal mass, it don't heat up fast nor will it cool fast once its warm.. even what its very cold out.

 
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skobydog
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Post by skobydog » Thu. Oct. 19, 2017 10:33 pm

davidmcbeth3 wrote:
Thu. Oct. 19, 2017 10:22 pm
http://mspplumbingheatingair.com/blog/3-dumb-thin ... -you-money

Heating or cooling.....adj temps can save $$$ ...

Thats why they make programmable thermostats.

Coal, heating oil, etc...all the same.
I guess I'm so used to the big hand-fed staying hot all night that it just seems every coal appliance is supposed to work this way. :)

 
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windyhill4.2
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 8:25 am

If your house is moderately insulated or better,it likely is ok to do the lower temp overnite, i have my t-stat programed to drop back at nite & then at 5:30 am it ramps back up again.
My cinder block shop is a perfect example of when NOT to do split temps. I tried lower temps overnite in my shop yrs back,it took around 5 hrs to get the comfy feeling back into the building the next morning.

 
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Post by grumpy » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 8:29 am

My cinder block shop is a perfect example of when NOT to do split temps. I tried lower temps overnite in my shop yrs back,it took around 5 hrs to get the comfy feeling back into the building the next morning.
Thats what I'm saying, my house is block..

 
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Post by Pacowy » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 8:52 am

So use a programmable thermostat to start the recovery earlier. No matter how your house is constructed, it loses btu's as a function of the temperature difference between inside and outside. Setting back reduces the difference, and therefore the need to replace btu's being lost.

Mike


 
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Post by franco b » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 8:53 am

Most coal stoves and even boilers are sized to maintain the heat when run steadily. This is the nature of coal. There is no on off with 100,000 BTU blasts or more, that a typical oil or gas supplies. Even if oversized the coal unit takes time to ramp up.

Just leaving a hand fired setting at one point is a setback since night outside temperatures are lower than day.

 
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Post by Pacowy » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 9:12 am

fb,

From other threads, I believe the OP, notwithstanding his profile, is running an EFM-powered GJ stoker boiler that has very real start/stop capabilities and formidable overall capacity. He should have no trouble implementing and achieving fuel savings from setbacks.

Mike

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 9:56 am

I am using a programmable thermostat right now, but backwards of what u want to do, at 6 pm the heat goes up to 75, and at 6am it goes down to 73.

 
Pacowy
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Post by Pacowy » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 10:06 am

I don't think there is a "backwards". If you set back when you don't need the heat, you'll save fuel. With that new powerplant you have lots of btu's at your command, so don't be bashful about setting back.

Mike

 
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Post by windyhill4.2 » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 10:45 am

I do use a 24v programmable t-stat in my house, it is a 5-2 day with 4 time slots per 24 hrs.From 8am-6pm i have it 72*,at 6pm it goes to 75* until 9pm,then down to 70* until 5:30am when it goes back up to 75* until 8am when it drops to 72*.

I have 2 line voltage manual t-stats in my shop,i just never shopped & found a line voltage t-stat that i could program,preferably a 7 day program capability,not the 5-2 day like my house.This is something i am considering tho.

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 11:08 am

Pacowy wrote:
Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 10:06 am
I don't think there is a "backwards". If you set back when you don't need the heat, you'll save fuel. With that new powerplant you have lots of btu's at your command, so don't be bashful about setting back.

Mike
Ya I should of been more clear, I just meant I am setting my temperatures opposites of the OP, hotter at night.

 
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Post by scalabro » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 12:52 pm

These types of conversations always baffle me.

The less amount of hours fuel is burning, the less fuel you burn.

How could one think that burning fuel saves fuel?

 
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Post by scalabro » Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 12:53 pm

grumpy wrote:
Fri. Oct. 20, 2017 8:29 am
My cinder block shop is a perfect example of when NOT to do split temps. I tried lower temps overnite in my shop yrs back,it took around 5 hrs to get the comfy feeling back into the building the next morning.
Thats what I'm saying, my house is block..
Yes your house was cooler, and you burned less fuel.


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