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#11 |
Master EcoRenovator
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver Island BC
Posts: 745
Thanks: 23
Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts
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![]() wow, I don't ever turn my heat up to 72. I go up to 67 during the day and let it drop to 64 at night. The woodstove will get the house over 72 after running for a few hours though.
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#12 |
Journeyman EcoRenovator
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 383
Thanks: 78
Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts
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![]() The recent Ask This Old House episode had a realy good segment on the newest version of the Nest "learning" thermostat - skip to Chapter 5 (the fifth hash line on the bottom):
Video: Ask TOH | Painting Cabinets, Smart Thermostat | Watch This Old House Online | PBS Video They are pretty thorough in the walk-through of the features. |
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#13 |
Steve Hull
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: hilly, tree covered Arcadia, OK USA
Posts: 826
Thanks: 241
Thanked 165 Times in 123 Posts
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![]() Tim,
Sadly, look at the degree day data with the dumb and smart thermostat. Yes, you paid 5% less with the smart one, but the heating load, as measured by degree days, was 11.5% lower in the interval when the smart one was in use. I support programable thermostats for the right application, but I not sure this data proves your point. Steve
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consulting on geothermal heating/cooling & rational energy use since 1990 |
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#14 |
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
Thanks: 1,162
Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts
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![]() If you run the numbers, its actually a 16% decrease in natural gas usage. It a 5% decrease per heating degree day.
Programmable thermostats really are a never-loose kinda device. They pay for themselves very quickly in almost every case I've ever seen.
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#15 |
Steve Hull
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: hilly, tree covered Arcadia, OK USA
Posts: 826
Thanks: 241
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![]() Daox,
You are right about the therm reduction (60.8 to 51.0 =-16.12). However the reduction of degree days is 1029 to 911 = -11.47. So , despite a decrease in the heating load of ~ 11.5%, there was a reduction in gas usage of 16%. Maybe that difference was where the 5% reduction came from . . . . Steve
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consulting on geothermal heating/cooling & rational energy use since 1990 |
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#16 | |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 184
Thanks: 9
Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
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![]() Quote:
I compared natural gas use for the same billing period (Jan / Feb.) bill for the year before and after I installed the programmable thermostat. I then pulled the Heating Degree Day data (from wunderground.com) for the same days as the billing period for each year. Then I divided the Therms of Natural Gas used by Heating Degree Days (Therms / H.D.D.) to compare the difference the programmable thermostat made. Therms of Natural Gas used per Heating Degree Day was the point of comparison that showed the 5% reduction in Natural Gas used. There is probably a more accurate way to calculate the difference, but not with the tools that I have. I hope that helps, Tim
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The Following User Says Thank You to TimJFowler For This Useful Post: | Daox ![]() |
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