Programmable Thermostat

[ChrHerrman]

Programmable Thermostat vs. Manual Thermostat

My future father-in-law, brother and I put in a new oil fired boiler in our house a couple weeks ago and it has been working great. A friend gave me a programmable thermostat, so I gave it a whirl and hooked it up. I set it to come up to 67 degrees in the morning at 5 am and shut back down to 60 degrees during the day (from 8am til 4 pm). In the afternoon at 4:00 it comes up to 67 degrees, and then at 9 pm it shuts down to 60 degrees until the morning. Our domestic hot water also is heated by the boiler, but we generally do not need hot water during the "setback" hours of the boiler.

So far the thermostat has been working to the tee and comes on when it needs to like clockwork. However, when my future father-in-law (old-timer) and older (retired) electrician friend found out I was using a programmable thermostat they cussed it up and down and told me to throw that damn thing in the creek and hook the old thermostst back up. They claimed I will use more oil heating the house back up in the mornings and evenings than if I let it hold a constant temperature. They also think that programmable thermostats have no business with a boiler.

What are your thoughts on having a programmable thermostat with a boiler? Anyone out their have this set up?

 

[pook]

prog thermo saves $. 10*f setback seems like practical maximum

 

[Ikeholt]

Is this old guy helping to pay for the wedding? I'd do whatever he says at least until they read his will, especially if his daughter is a good catch. Seems like a cheap price for peace in the family.

 

[Pulp Friction]

Programmable Thermostat vs. Manual Thermostat

....... What are your thoughts on having a programmable thermostat with a boiler? Anyone out their have this set up?

I think they are worth the money and effort. If you want to convince yourself, do like I did years ago and wire an hour-meter into the oil burner pump. Tally the minutes that the burner runs throughout the night without a setback, and then on a similar weather night what it runs when you have to run a little bit more in the morning to come back up to temp. I think you will find that it saves you oil (and $$$). "The numbers don't lie".

 

[CountryBoy19]

I think they are worth the money and effort. If you want to convince yourself, do like I did years ago and wire an hour-meter into the oil burner pump. Tally the minutes that the burner runs throughout the night without a setback, and then on a similar weather night what it runs when you have to run a little bit more in the morning to come back up to temp. I think you will find that it saves you oil (and $$$). "The numbers don't lie".

This ^^^ just run the numbers.

I think the bad rap that programmable thermostats get is from people with heat-pumps not programming them correctly. If it's not programmed right, then it will run you emergency heat rather than the heat-pump when it is coming back up to temp and that is where it will cost you more.

 

[merlynr]

I think you are correct about the heat pump programming countryboy19. I have programmable thermostat with heat pump and leave it on manual mode. Right now it's set on 66 deg because next to it is the wood furnace thermostat that's set on 70. But in mild weather if you run the heat pump thermostat up a lot, the elect. part of furnace will come on driving up the electric usage. So far my heat pump has only came on once in this cold weather and that was one morning before I got the wood going again. Also when I lowered the thermostat to 66.

 

[dimanager]

I have an outside wood furnace. When I put in my progamable thermostats I bet I saved 2 cords of wood the next year. With that being said, I have baseboard radiators for the main part of the house. When we added on I put in floor heat in the addition. The guy who sold me the furnace put the heat in the addition and recomended using a regular thermostat for the in floor heat. It takes to long to heat the floor then heat the room, and it just doesn't pay to keep going up and down with the temperature. Just my .02.

Sam

 

[pook]

I have an outside wood furnace. When I put in my progamable thermostats I bet I saved 2 cords of wood the next year. With that being said, I have baseboard radiators for the main part of the house. When we added on I put in floor heat in the addition. The guy who sold me the furnace put the heat in the addition and recomended using a regular thermostat for the in floor heat. It takes to long to heat the floor then heat the room, and it just doesn't pay to keep going up and down with the temperature. Just my .02.

Sam

congrats! u figured out the time delay of the slab & thanx for posting, I will remember

 

[John R]

Those thermostats work great on forced air systems, but not so good on hot water systems.

Try it, if you don't like it, you can always change it back.

 

[mga]

programmable thermostats are OK if the temperature settings are within a small degree.

when people set their homes at 60, for example, during the day, then have them set at 70 later on, the furnace has to heat up not only the air in the home, but all the objects as well, including the walls and floors furniture, etc. personally, i think they use more energy doing that than keeping things at a steady temp.

if you're hell bent on using them, set the degree difference at a minimum...maybe 5 degrees or less.

 

[unclemoustache]

They claimed I will use more oil heating the house back up in the mornings and evenings than if I let it hold a constant temperature. They also think that programmable thermostats have no business with a boiler.

The local housing inspector for my town says that this rumor is a bunch of bunk. Unless you're heating a warehouse, go ahead and program it. I think Pulp Friction has it right - you can test it yourself and see.

As far as the kind of thermostat to use with a boiler, I wonder if your relatives (and soon-to-be relatives) even know what they're talking about. A boiler works off of regular electricity, and the thermostat only tells the boiler WHEN to operate. It makes no difference what kind of thermostat you use.

 

[loadthestove]

I have two units(forced air) in my house and use programmable thermostats on both and it does makes a difference.
Both of my thermostat have built in hours meters so I checked both ways.also my wood compsumption is lower .

As mentioned,with the heat pumps anytime you call for over 3 degrees heat rise the "Emergency or electric heat strips will kick on".My parents have a heat pump.If you are watching a football game and the heat strips kick in ,,it will bend the goal post almost to the ground..

 

[CountryBoy19]

personally, i think they use more energy doing that than keeping things at a steady temp.

It's just not possible. It goes against the laws of thermodynamics and heat transfer and all that good stuff from college.

The only time it uses more energy is if it kicks on the emergency heat-strips vs. just running the heat-pump.


BTW, as mentioned a lot of thermostats have a 3 degree temperature differential that will kick on the heat-strips. And, if I'm not mistaken, a lot of them also can have 4 temperature set-points per day. rather than have the heat kick off twice (during the day and while sleeping) like most of them recommend, I think you can change the set-points to slowly bring the temp back up rather than quickly using the heat-strips. Example, I think you can have a 75 degree set-point for when you're home, then a 66 degree set-point for away, then 69 degrees, and 72 degrees set in stages so that the heat-pump does the work over a longer period of time vs the heat-strips doing it quickly.