what are the cons with a setback t stat

shawn laverty

What are the cons on having a setback t stat. Is it bad to have one when you have a cxouple really cold days?

Jamie Hall

biggest one I can think of

is if you set it back too far you use more fuel warming the place up than you save during the setback time. And this is worse, the colder it gets! Some folks advocate no setback at all as you get really down there (like today!). It's a balancing act between how much fuel do you save vs. how much fuel does it take to bring things back up.

Unknown

Setbacks

Here are some general guidelines.
Deep setbacks (10 degrees or more) are not recommended with steam systems. How much you save is also related to what the state of your home's envelop of insulation, windows, and air infiltration is. During extreme cold weather, you may want to skip any setbacks to prevent any possible pipe freezeups. Your system is sized to a local "design" temperature, and when conditions go below that temperature, your system will not benefit from any setbacks. "Trade" thermostats feature a program that gradually ramps the temperature up from setback to comfort, and you may notice the heat starting up much earlier than usual during extreme cold weather. Retail, older or non-programmable thermostats do not have this feature, and will only start at a preselected time.