Help settle an argument between DH and I re: thermostat setting

[JamesMama]

DH and I are having a bit of a tiff (not a fight, just...ya know...) about the thermostat. We are renters, it is old NOT programmable/digital just the oldtime slider deal.

Every night before bed I bump the heat down to 60* then in the AM when I wake up for work, I turn it back up to 69* which is wear it sits all day.

DH says that we are wasting gas/energy by forcing the heater to heat the house from 60-69 and we should just leave it at 69 all the time. I say that the energy savings of that 8-10 hours (no I don't sleep 10 hours, but sometimes I don't turn it up until I'm ready to walk out the door) at 60 vs 69 makes up the difference.

So...am I REALLY saving energy/gas to turn it down at night just to bump it back up in the morning??

((oh, and DH is type 1 diabetic, on several meds for high blood pressure so 69 is as low as we can go during the day, he is too cold blooded to have it any lower and actually he's freezing half the time...but he doesn't listen to me when I tell him to put on a sweater so tough nuts for him, right?))

[superstella]

MYTH: Setting your thermostat back during the day doesn’t save money because your heating system has to work so hard when you get home to warm the house back up (or cool it down).

RULE OF THUMB: Depending on the climate where you live and the efficiency of your home, including levels of insulation, you should be able to set your thermostat back several degrees for 8 hours a day which will reduce the number of times your heating or cooling system needs to cycle on during the day – and that saves significant energy. It’s true that when you come home and turn up your thermostat, your heating or cooling system will run for a longer period of time to get your home up to its optimal temperature. But you’ll still have saved more energy (and money) over the 8 hours your system worked less intensely – so go ahead and set your thermostat back.

http://www.energyhog.org/adult/more.htm

[rainyday]

Originally Posted by JamesMama

but sometimes I don't turn it up until I'm ready to walk out the door) at 60 vs 69 makes up the difference.

to the PP for your question about turning it down at night.

The above line jumped out at me from the OP's post, though. Why would you turn the heat up when you're walking out the door? If you really want to save money and energy, it would make more sense to turn it on when you come home, not when you leave.

[the_lissa]

Yeah I agree. Keep it at 60 at night and when you aren't home/

[ASusan]

This is an ongoing argument between DH and myself. Of course, I am right.

It sounds like the OP's DH might be at home and needing the heat set higher during the day.

[woodchick]

Originally Posted by rainyday

to the PP for your question about turning it down at night.

The above line jumped out at me from the OP's post, though. Why would you turn the heat up when you're walking out the door? If you really want to save money and energy, it would make more sense to turn it on when you come home, not when you leave.

She leaves for work in the morning, but her husband is a SAHD. So she turns the heat up for him and the kids. Then she turns it down again when they all go to bed.

[Malva]

Could you compromise and leave it at 65 all the time? You'd certainly save more than by leaving it at 69 like he wants but he'd win the "stop changing it" part of the argument (even tho it's a myth).

My dh is a sahd and we leave it at 59 night and day. The kids don't care and he just bundles up.

[JamieCatheryn]

That's a huge gap, but I think having it down is better than keeping it so hot all day and night. Why not turn it down a degree during the day each day until you get to 65 or less and go for a blanket, sweater, or hot drink first thing rather than the thermostat if you or he get cold? Edit - oh, he's diabetic and it makes him cold. Still maybe if it's gradual and a blanket or something yummy and warm is close at hand?

[tinuviel_k]

Turning off the heat and night and when everyone leaves the house helps a lot!

Last year I was pretty careless with the heat, leaving it on often at night and also when we left the house for a few hours in the day.

This year I have been very, very careful to turn off the heat in the evenings after we go to bed. We sleep in an unheated bedroom with lots of blankets and a lovely wool comforter, and we stay nice and warm. My husband turns the heat on for us in the morning when he leaves for work. I also turn off the heat whenever we leave the house for a few hours.

So far I've noticed a good change in our power usage since turning off the heat at night and when we are gone.
2007: 1,350 kWh of power during the month of October
2008: 1,140 kWh of power during the month of October.
And even though electricity has gone up in price since last year, our bill was $20 less than last year's October bill.

We have baseboard heat and a non-programmable thermostat, so I can't get too fancy with heat regulation. I'd say we keep our house at 70 degrees when we are home, and turn it off completely when we are gone or at night (unless it is exceptionally cold outside, then I try to set it for 60-ish).

[oneKnight]

We set ours down when we sleep too, we have an electric blanket or a space heater to just heat the one room we're actually going to be IN for 8-10 hours. The dog doesn't mind being cooler in the livingroom, she's got a big Chow Chow double-coat.

The previous owners promised us a $200 electricity bill, on average. Ours averages $120, with the highest being $170 last Feb. when it was about 28* all month long (cold for AR) I'm hoping to do better this year!