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by bgarbiak 5350 days ago
If the house is cooling down while you are away - don't you need more energy to warm it up again than you would use to just sustain the temperature? I'd say that an 'intelligent' thermostat has greater chance to balance this right than anyone could with a manual adjustments.
2 comments
bbest86 5350 days ago
No, I don't think so. Go to the extreme and think about leaving for a week or a month - it is quite clearly more efficient to let it cool and then warm it back up again. On a shorter time scale, your house will lose heat at a faster rate when the temperature differential to the outside is higher, so letting the house cool will reduce the rate of energy loss over the time period the house is cooler. The amount of time you are able to leave the heating off while the house cools will compensate for the higher load when you need to heat it up again.
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asmithmd1 5350 days ago
No, there is no "stiction" with thermal loss. It is most efficient to not add any energy (heating or cooling) when you are not at home. That is as long as you do not mind it being too hot or cold when you first get back home.
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