Recommend Good Thermostat Temps For While I'm Away

Jimmbo

I have a 100 year old house with steam heat. It's two floors (new windows on 2nd floor, old ones on 1st), 2,042 sq feet, in Westchester county.



I'm out a lot, so it's a waste to keep the heat on too high, but I hate coming back to a frigid house. So I'm about to install one of those fancy Nest thermostats, which can be controlled via my iPhone, so it cranks up the heat 30 mins before I get home. My normal temp is 68-70 (and 66 at night).



I don't want to overdo it, though. My heating system has to go through a lot of cycles to heat up a really cold house (it really didn't seem to enjoy bringing things back from 50 degrees after the Sandy blackout).



So what are good compromise temps for the house while I'm out for the day? For a weekend? For a couple weeks? Ideally, it'd be low enough to save oil, but high enough so the system doesn't have to over-work to bring the house to normal temp.



Thanks, everybody!

nicholas bonham-carter

Savings with setbacks with a Nest

We will all be interested in your experiences with the Nest & steam.

If you do a search here for setbacks, you will find a lot of discussion on the subject.

The consensus seems to be that if the system has to work hard enough to recover the normal temperature then the fuel saved is then used up in short less than 12 hour setbacks.

If you were a church, only heating on Sunday then a setback would yield a saving.

My suggestion would be to get your system in tip-top shape, running on a few ounces of pressure, with plenty of main (not rad) venting, and leave the temperature set for a constant 66 degrees.

The nest is probably better suited to hot water heat, or to a scorched air furnace, although the Internet connection seems useful if only to verify the set temperature.

If you take the plunge, please tell us all about it.--NBC

Jimmbo

Quick Follow-Ups

Thanks, Nicholas!



"The nest is probably better suited to hot water heat, or to a scorched air furnace, although the Internet connection seems useful if only to verify the set temperature."



Argh. That's two strikes against it...the other being that it requires a power wire, which my set-up doesn't have. I was going to have an electrician add one, but seems like I'm working awfully hard to add something that doesn't really belong. Anyone want to buy a never-used Nest at discount?





"My suggestion would be to get your system in tip-top shape, running on a few ounces of pressure, with plenty of main (not rad) venting"



Yeah, I need to look thru the list of recommended plumbers here and have somebody come tune it up.





"leave the temperature set for a constant 66 degrees.'



Are you suggesting this as the every day temp? That's too cool for me. Or are you saying that should be the set-back, and turn it up when I'm around?

nicholas bonham-carter

well if not 66, then....

you will probably get a new sweater for christmas, so you can select a higher temperature until then.

when you meet up with the steam pro, discuss improving the main venting, and low pressure operation [4 ounces]. make sure your steam pipes are insulated.--nbc

Jimmbo

Thanks!

Ha! Ok, thanks for the help!