🚀 go-pugleaf

In article phillips@tonyce.itg.ti.com, Tony Phillips <me@mysystem> writes:
>
>
>Sounds like may be misprogramming your thermostats too low during the day
>when no one is home.  Try leaving the temperature constant.  The idea
>behind Heat/AC is to keep the home comfy.  If you let the temp fall
>too much during the day, you're spending a lot of energy warming the
>STRUCTURE (ie, the walls, slab, masonry, etc) back up to where it
>was.  When you leave the temp constant, all you're doing is keeping
>the AIR a constant temp.  All the insulation now helps to keep the
>warm air in and the structure a constant temp.  Heat pumps are said to be most 
>efficient when there are minimal temperature swings.  Set the temp and leave 
>it be.  Or, try this experiment:
>

I had a person from TU come out yesterday and he told me that I should set the
daytime temperature even lower (it was 67). When it get's really cold, I have
removed the setback temp and had it be constant, just because it did have
trouble warming the house then back up to 72.

>
>We have a 2500sqft SINGLE STOREY house in Murphy (Just north and east of
>Richardson) with a single 5-ton dual fuel (Gas/Electric) heat pump.  Our worst 
>electric bill thus far this winter has been $132.00!  And our house has
>2x4 exterior walls (not sure what the insulation blanket in the attic is...)
>We keep our thermo at a constant 72 degrees, no set-back periods.  We use
>ceiling fans, even in the winter, in all living areas.  Our worst gas-bill
>has been $40, and we have gas water heater & cooktop, too.
>
>All in all, I think Holligan's are known for energy efficiency.  It may just
>be that you're not using the heat pumps efficiently.  What's your emergency
>heat?  Electric or Gas?  Electric resistance coils are tremendously 
>Inefficient.  Minimize their use by not using the setback functions.
>

With these programmable thermostat's, the emergency coils will not come on in
order to raise the temp after setback. They only come on when  the temperature 
outside is less than X degrees (I don't know what it is) and the heat pump can't 
supply enough heat. I wish we had gas! I'd kill for gas heat, hot water, and the 
wife likes a gas cooktop. But there is no gas lines in our area. We thought about 
propane, but didn't want to mess with the hassle. Now I'm not sure if that was 
the right idea.

>Also, do some candle-tests arounds windows & exterior wall outlets.  If you
>feel any drafts, fix 'em.  Make sure you keep your chimney flue closed, and 
>firebox doors, too, if you have 'em.
>

We definitly have some drafts that I'm currently fighting (putting in storm
doors, those little foam things under outlets/switches, extra caulk, etc.).
It doesn't help that our back yard is 300' deep and there's nothing to stop the
north wind from blasting the back of the house.

>Let me know if you want to compare more.  We're virtually neighbors, so I know 
>we pay the same rate for gas & electricity.  :)
>

If you're in Murphy, we're closer than you think. We live just NE of you in a
little town called St Paul. Most people can identify with the Texaco and
"Serious Barbeque" at the corner of Parker Rd and 1378 on the way to Lake Lavon. 
That's St Paul.

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__________________________________________________________________
Name : S. David Patton                  "Drummers do it in rhythm"
Addr : pattsd@aud.alcatel.com                Richardson, Texas
"Some people are alive, simply because it's illegal to kill them!"