Heating first floor during the day efficiently

SaraW

We have multi-zone heating. Our home has vaulted ceilings so in the front and back of the house, the areas open up to the second floor. My husband and I differ in heating the first floor during the day. I think because heat rises, we should have the heat on upstairs at around 68-70 so that the furnace doesn't have to work twice as hard with the heat on downstairs. It seems to me that because the heat rises and we have the vaulted areas we lose warmth on the first floor by having the heat at about 60 on the second floor.



My husband thinks that it won't be different and just cost us more by trying to heat the 2nd floor to help the first.



What is the best, most cost efficient way to heat the first floor?

Should we have the heat higher on the second or is it more efficient to have it around 60?



Thank you....

icesailor

Heating floors:

My experience is this.

If the vaulted ceilings go up teo floors, I don't put the second floor heat emitters on the second floor zone. I connect them to the first floor. And I always make a vaulted ceiling/two story room, a zone of its own. Then, the second floor thermostat is only controlling the second floor rooms and not a room that is controlled bt the first floor.  What also helps these rooms are paddle fans to push the air back down and keep the heat from "stacking" at the top of the ceilings. It's hard to balance rooms like this with smaller rooms.

Hope this helps.