Turning down the thermostat - does it make a difference?

Question

We're trying to live greener, and it seems like turning down our thermostat is one of the easiest ways to make a difference - and save some cash.

We live in a small, four-story rowhome with a gas heater for the first two floors and electric for the top two.

Right now, I leave home shortly before 9 a.m. and turn the thermostat down to 62 degrees. When I return home around 5:30, I turn the downstairs heater up to 68 and the upstairs heater to 65. (Hot air rises, right? Our upstairs always seems warmer.)

We're in metro DC, so temperatures are often in the 20s overnight.

Am I doing any good, or is the impact of heating up the house in the evenings canceling out the impact of lowering the thermostat during the day?

Answer 1

Campbelp appears to have nailed the question. You could improve the economy by leaving the electric heaters at an even lower temperature, again only as long as pipes will not freeze, which in DC is not very likely.

But when you go to bed, you may find it practical to further lower the temperature back to  your 62F, with an extra comforter on the bed. That means that when outside temperatures are lowest your demand for heat drops even deeper.

(We don't use outside sources of energy, just sun with a bit of wood, so our temperatures rise to  95F in the daytime and drop to 60F every night, so we exemplify your target.)

Answer 2

If you have gas, oil, or electric heat, it should reduce your heat bill some, but not necessarily a lot. If you have a heat pump, suddenly jacking up the heat can cause your backup heat to kick in which may be more expensive overall.

Some people think that heating up your house again makes your furnace work "harder" and costs more energy. This simply isn't true. Your furnace cannot work harder (except for heat pumps); it is either on or it is off.

Answer 3

anytime you can lower it, it does some good.  Actually i think they say if you can keep it at 68 it's still better for the enviroment.  i wouldn't go to low or your pipes may freeze.

Answer 4

Any changes you can make, help!

Answer 5

That will definitely help, next thing is to check your water heater, shutting it off when not in use (if electric) can save 30% or more on power, use only when you need it.

Are you doing any good, only your next power bill will know.

Answer 6

You are doing good because the insulation in the house is not perfect and some heat is always escaping. That is why you can't just shut off the heat and have the house stay warm. The heater is constantly replacing heat lost through the walls and windows and so on. But the greater the temperature difference between inside and outside, the faster the heat leaks out. So when you lower the thermostat and let the house cool off, the heater runs a little less to maintain the lower temperature. And heating it back up uses at most the same amount of heat as was lost during the day, and probably less since the heat loss rate slows as the house cools.

Answer 7

Keeping it at just 69 degrees, can stop our dependence on foreign oil in just 5 to 10 years. Turn it up if your cold. BTW: I live in New York and never keep the thermostat on.