Heating just the master bedroom

RobertSmalls · 10-30-10, 09:00 AM

I direct most of the furnace's airflow to my bedroom. With the bedroom door closed at night, the rest of the house gets nice and chilly (less wasted energy). With the door open while I'm home during the day, the living room and kitchen are warm enough.

However, with the thermostat in the living room, it was really hard to control the temperature in the bedroom. I ended up having to switch it on and off manually. I've corrected that by adding thermostat wiring in parallel, i.e. an OR gate, and moving my thermostat to the bedroom. I'll add a second thermostat to the living room if it looks like things might freeze out there.

If I didn't live alone, I would probably have to go with a home automation system (and I still might). But the result would be similar: heat the bedroom for 13 hours a day, and the rest of the house for just 5 hours a day M-F. If you can handle having breakfast in the cold, those hours are consecutive.

I could achieve satisfactory results from a home automation system with just two temperature sensors, one in-duct actuator, and one thermostat wire hookup.

10-30-10, 09:00 AM	#1
RobertSmalls Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 344 Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 15 Posts	Heating just the master bedroom I direct most of the furnace's airflow to my bedroom. With the bedroom door closed at night, the rest of the house gets nice and chilly (less wasted energy). With the door open while I'm home during the day, the living room and kitchen are warm enough. However, with the thermostat in the living room, it was really hard to control the temperature in the bedroom. I ended up having to switch it on and off manually. I've corrected that by adding thermostat wiring in parallel, i.e. an OR gate, and moving my thermostat to the bedroom. I'll add a second thermostat to the living room if it looks like things might freeze out there. If I didn't live alone, I would probably have to go with a home automation system (and I still might). But the result would be similar: heat the bedroom for 13 hours a day, and the rest of the house for just 5 hours a day M-F. If you can handle having breakfast in the cold, those hours are consecutive. I could achieve satisfactory results from a home automation system with just two temperature sensors, one in-duct actuator, and one thermostat wire hookup.