HVAC question

Some think that because the heat loss is less as the house cools - less temp differential means slower heat loss - turning it down makes sense . I keep the heat up out here because I don't want to have to repair busted pipes . Plus I heat with wood harvested from our 12 acres which is much cheaper .

Ours is a relatively well insulated 50 year old house in south central Ontario heated with gas and a Tempstar 80%+ furnace. It's been

-20C here for weeks - we keep the house at about 21C during the day and knock it down to about 17 at night. This means the upstairs bedroom drops to about 15C overnight. The thermostat goed back to 21 at about 7AM and the bedroom is back to 18ish and the rest of the house up to 21 by 8:30. The furnace might run 1.5 to 2.5 hours during the turn-down period and a total of 7.5 to 8.5 in a 24 hour period. The turndown period is about 9 hours - say just over 30% - so during roughly 90% of the time it runs 1/3 of the time, and during the other 30% it runs closer to 20 to 25% of the time. Not a HUGE savings - but keep in mind the "down" time is the coldest part of the day - and often the windiest, with no solar heat gain - so it seems to be worth it for us. It is a 2 stage furnace and it VERY SELDOM kicks up to the high burn

-50,000 / 70,000 BTU input, 40,000/60,000 nominal output. It kicks to high after 12 minutes on low if the temperature hasn't recovered. I haven't put a timer or counter on the high fire recently but when it was installed 23 years ago, with the blower set too dlow so it was short cycling it virtually NEVER switched to high. I reset the fan speed to get the temperature rize down where it belongs and since then it has never short cycled and I have not heard it kick up to high fire

- but it MIGHT during morning recovery. The furnace is about 30%? oversize - a 35/55000BTU would have been the correct furnace according to heat-loss calculations

It depends. In most cases, you do save by turning it down, but, there is a limit to be cost effective. A turn down of about 5 to 10 degrees can save. A turn down of 15 degrees, there is a lot of makeup to do.

Comfort is another factor. Many of us sleep better with our body under a cozy blanket and our head breathing the cooler air at night. In summer, I turn the temp down with the AC and pay more to do that for the comfort of a good sleep.

You'd have to record actual run time during the sleep period to come up with a number and insulation and outside differential come into play but yes, you will save and probably be more comfortable.

A water bed is ideal year-round. Constant 80F, cools in the summer and warms in the winter.

One more thing. My house in CT was built in 1978. In the 1990s I replaced it with a new one and my oil use went down by about 40%. I tracked it according to degree days to verify.

I had a water bed from 1982 to 2012 and I kept the heater set to a constant 96, IIRC. Could have been 98, I'm not sure. Certainly no lower.

They are TERRIBLE if the power goes out - and even worse when they spring a leak. No need to ask how I know on both counts. I will NEVER go back to a water bed!!!!!!

For power outages of less than 24-hours, there will not be an appreciable difference in water temperature. It took at least three days for me to even notice it (e.g. when the vacuum cleaner accidentally knocks the heater plug out).

That is assuming the proper use of top-cover (blanket + comforter).

I had a leak once. It was very slow (after all, the water isn't under any signficant pressure with no occupant) and was entirely contained by the liner.

Your choice. I've had mine for four decades now (on third mattress).

Hafta have a generator for the well, water heater, refrigerators, freezer, starlink dish, router, computers and gas furnace...might as well include the waterbed heater.

I'm done, as well. Mine never sprung a leak, but for me, it was a novelty that hung around far longer than it had a right to.