How to Maximize Comfort with a Thermostat | Ask This Old House
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2019
- Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey and home technology expert Ross Trethewey discuss improvements to thermostats and how they contribute to comfort in a home.
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Steps:
1. Richard and Ross emphasize that the thermostat temperature is just one measurement in the category of comfort. In their field, they work to ensure that the environment is comfortable based on the following data points:
a. Temperature - is the space warm or cool enough
b. Humidity - is there too much (or not enough) moisture in the air
c. Air Speed - is the general air flow of the house causing the occupants to feel colder than they should?
d. Mean radiant temperature - are there surfaces in the room (like windows, floor tiles, etc.) that are different from the occupants’ body temperatures that are making them feel warmer or colder?
2. Modern thermostats, when combined with smarter furnaces or boilers, can account for more of these factors to make the home more comfortable.
Resources:
While Richard and Ross emphasize that temperature is just one measure of comfort in a home, they also point out that innovations in new thermostats are allowing room temperatures to be more precise and more effective than in the past.
To demonstrate this, they referenced a variety of different thermostats, including the Nest Learning Thermostat (amzn.to/2H6bSNQ) and the Ecobee 4 Smart Thermostat (amzn.to/2JoDTBN), which can be found at most home centers.
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How to Maximize Comfort with a Thermostat | Ask This Old House
/ thisoldhouse - Jak na to + styl
Perfect, I just watched this.
Ok my house was built in 1992, my hvac system was changed in 2013. My heating bills in the winter for a cold month cost us 450.00 dollars for one month around 2007- 2008 a year we had a cold snap.
No humidity heat at 74dgr f the house never kept warm.
In 2021 jan feb months we had colder temptures for a longer period of time, my gas bill was 163.00 for the month of February this newer hvac system is
Seer 16. 97% efficient heat i had the heat set to 76 dgr and ran a humidifier the whole time this system pulls in outside air to make combustion.
Even a few year old system can be a big upgrade and cost savings to replace.
I wont get into what we paid becuse your home isn't the same size, or geographic location and construction simply taping all the joints helps but the biggest improvement was a newer energy efficient system
This system has paid for itself the first year and almost every year afterwards
And its not even the best money could have bought, if I had it to do over I would opt for a 2 stage compressor, but celing fans help keep you cool the ACs job is to dump heat outside.
On a second note I pay to have this serviced every year it worth it to keep it working at peak efficiency.
However its somthing I could diy its still better to let the pros do it.
Almost all of the gals at my high school had the logic of, "adjust the thermostat by five degrees Fahrenheit, and it'll heat/cool faster"
My 10th grade geometry teacher had to tell them that wasn't the case, at all, and even I knew that for awhile.
Hi TOH , Kevin, Richard, Ross , thanks for showing us what temperature to keep our thermostat at to help save energy & money ! 👍😃🔨🔩🔧
Humidifiers come in handy when burning wood in a Jotul'.
In a moment of rebellion I went down to Ace Hardware and picked up 3 of the old school, Honeywell dial thermostats and ripped out the programmable ones that came with my house. They work flawlessly and I don’t need a PHD to figure them out.
That's what I have and they are staying put, no batteries, no user manual, they just work all the time, every time.
My 359 dollar electronic thermostat is set to 74 summer and 76 winter year round its not a smart thermostat but close it is powered off the hvac systems main computer.
My gas bill this past February was 135 it was minus 10 to minus 20 for 2 weeks outside, a few summers ago it was 90s for a month outside my power bill was
190 at the most with 4 adults at home 24/7 running 4 big screen tvs 6 computers a fan or 2 in every room.
Its your older hvac system costing you a lot of money. My thermostat isn't wifi.
I have a z wave unit I wont use it.
And my house is close to 3k sf
Agreed humidity is key for comfort. Thanks for the conversation about this. This is great information for homeowners. We also think education on your heating and cooling system is important to be able to keep your house comfortable and even stay healthier.
Yep I got a humidifier and that made a difference in the winter.
same here
Nice! I'm the same. Wouldn't want to live without the whole house humidifier in the Kansas winter.
67 in summer. 63 in winter.
I love them
When will you guys do a video on laminate vinyl flooring?
Just for some obvious context. It's far better to have a home thats much better insulated along with temperature and humidity control and fresh air circulation and then you don't micromanage your thermostat you just leave it at the settings you want because your house can retain the temperature for a day or two there's no need to shutoff the system while at work.
However most actual homes have ridiculously awful standby loss. Funny enough a big part of that is just the duct work itself if its placed in an attic its radiating all that heat in then it moves through the air back into the house. In other cases people just don't have good insulation or their windows are leaky, etc. But the idea of letting your entire house heat cycle to save money just seems backwards.
Ecobee4 ftw!
I just want the utility companies to stop gouging us.
Easy, install solar panels on the roof, most popular models generate electricity, others can be used to heat water (Ideal if you have a Whirlpool or hot tub that needs large volume of hot water. Last season of TOH featured solar panels & by next year results should show "O" electric bill if the calculations were correct. 😃
David H Bingham Solar panels need 7 to 13 years of usage time to become profitable. And all those years it’s your own responsibility to have them stay working. And if the electric company stops accepting return electricity, then the bit that you generate too much on sunny days just goes to waste. Not saying that it’s a no, but there are a lot of factors to think about before going for it.
@@davidhbingham6812
I have to say this, even if you use no gas in the summer months you still pay about 35 bucks a month for gas
To heat a 40 gallon tank for a family of 4 for a month you use about 7 bucks worth of gas a solar hot water heater is going to cost more even after 30 years
Now if its summer you can dump heat off the hvac system into your waterheater to heat water and raise thd efficiency of your ac compressor to a point if its an older unit, if its seer16 you wont pull much heat off the lines
Solar hot water is not your best bet
Its geothermal.
Actually there should be studies to see what is the most energy efficient methods with the best cost options.
But it also depends on your home and location. There are a lot of energy auditers out in the field and from what I read as feedback not all of them are qualified to do the job.
Like doctors this should be a collage corse with 8 years of school and recertification every other year.
It also needs to be a licensed industry you must pass a test to get like any other trade. This is just as important as electrical contractors.
We know hydronic system , but , what is "four stair system" ? !
Poor guy on the right kept trying to get a word in to feel relevant the whole video, he was itching towards the end
Eman M that’s Richards son.
False. My 45 year old boiler is still 70% efficient. To upgrade would cost over $10k. The savings to upgrade to a 95% efficient boiler would be approximately $400/year. This would take me 25 years to break even!
Well, duh..... But, honestly, this could have been longer, with more practical details, and less about the expensive stuff most of us can't afford.
This is making my head hurt...
For a more in-depth look in to how your average US thermostat functions and communicates with your heating/cooling system, I really suggest this Technology Connections video: czcams.com/video/ZZC0SP02PqY/video.html
yes, turn yet another human tracking machine on ...... try talking about a product you don't want near an amazon echo and you'll see it when you are on the internet.
I don't want any more electronics
Agree100%
absolutely that round honeywell thermostat will last a lifetime (never lose time and no changing batteries)the other 400 dollar stuff will be gone in 6 to 7 years that old 50year old furnace which they said might be 50 to 60 percent efficient is more like 75 percent new furnaces will break down every 3 to 4 years and if no warranty will cost a fortune to fix and replace every 10 years so you may save on gas but pay much more in inconvenience and cost , and yes I work Hvac
Without programmable thermostat, you’re probably heating your house on unnessessary moments. That wastes a lot of money on fuel, lifetime of your heater, and impact on nature.
tracking your every move.....
Do people really need a book of information on how to set your thermostat comfortably? If it’s too hot you decrease the temperature, if it’s too cold you raise the temperature. When you know what temperature you want at what time, you program it. How can people get through life if they are too dumb to understand this without explanation. They would be nearing the intelligence of my cats.
No thanks, I'll keep my old Honeywell Thermostat and my asbestos covered furnace, it's been working flawless for 50 yrs. There isn't a furnace out there that will last that long. Don't need or want another electronic thing in my house to track me or go bad.
I bet you a dollar that your old furnace is General Electric .
We just had to replace our 42-year-old air conditioner last year. Not because it went bad but because our 20-year-old furnace went bad and the new one couldn't be connected with the old air conditioner (or something like that :-) ). Kudos to Fraser-Johnston for building an air conditioner that lasts.
I believe the expression is, "Ignorance is bliss." Keep smiling, while you're paying twice as much for heating and that asbestos dust is increasing the chances for lung cancer in your loved ones. Never mind the environmental impact your rediculosly inefficient system has on the world. Yup, just keep smiling...
@@Wild_Bill57, No ignorance here, I just don't mess with something that works perfectly and spending 8 grand for something I know that has a 20yr lifespan is not something I choose to do. It's been tested at 84% efficiency, not as good as the new ones but I don't care. As far as the asbestos, do you think we are down there playing dodge ball with it ? There's no risk for dust as it is encapsulated like you would not believe. If I leave it and use it, I do way less damage to the environment than replacing because nothing has to be done, no disposal, no making any new parts which involves burning more oil to make the parts for the new furnace, etc. So I spend an extra 200 bucks a year, big deal. It will still be here, WORKING, when you and I are gone, unless some noob comes along, spends 8 grand, to save 200 bucks a year !
Sorry about the long reply and it's all good.
@@T-marie-N, Amen, built to go the distance ! Unless my furnace fails, and it will not, it stays !
I'll bet the closet auger hanging on the wall of their shop stinks
first!!!
Second