We just bought a house in the San Fernando Valley that looks like it has the original thermostat from 1981 still in service. So I’d like to swap in a “smart” one, but not so smart that I can’t figure it out. What makes/models do you like, and why?
Thanks —
— J.S.
Replies
I like the Carrier with the 7 day programming ability. It saves me considerable money with night and day setback. The reason I like the Carrier in particular is that it doesn't need a battery to operate. Many brands use a battery, and when the battery dies your heat stops working. If that happens while you are away for a week in the winter it can be disaster. The other dumb thing about some with batteries (like one our church had for a short while) is that every time you change the battery the program wipes out and you have to reenter it all.
We had a Carrier during the ice storm of '98. The power was out for a week. As soon as the power came back the whole system started right up and the program was still there. They claim that the program will last about a week, but even if the program is lost it defaults to something like 70° heat and 85° air conditioning. Some battery operated brands have no default, so once the program dies it will not work at all until reprogrammed.
One point to note, though, is that the Carrier requires one additional wire, so if you are replacing an existing thermostat and you don't have a spare wire you'll have to run a new cable.
I have had a Honeywell programmable thermostat for over 15 years. I have never had the battery to fail to provide backup power during any power disruption. On the other hand, I have used it in both the nightime setback mode and in the constant mode without any noticable energy savings for either the forced air gas heating or the electical air conditioning. This was in Michigan (cold), Indiana (cold and hot), and now Tucson (hot!).
I have noted that many retired people like to manage the thermostat manually. I guess they have the time to do it and their schedule is not so fixed by having to get up at a set time for work. For these people, I recommend the new Honeywell digital round thermostat.(http://yourhome.honeywell.com Easy to see (illuminated) and easy to set (digital readout. No battery to fail. Returns to original setting when power is restored.
Terry
I like the LUX brand. Their 7 day, easy to set, and hold the temp it is set for very well. One button moves the temp up or down a degree at a time and goes back to the set temp on the next cycle. A lot cheeper than some of the others too.
Honeywell Visionpro with humidity sensor. Not the cheapest in the world, but really easy to use. The humidity sensor is nice here in Florida. Some times of the year the humidity can be out of hand while the temperature is within spec. This thermostat also supports remote temperature sensors, which can be helpful if one part of the house tends to heat up and/or cool down faster than the part where the thermostat is located.
Interesting topic so I would like to ask if you use your programmable thermostat what is the range you set it in over the winter if your in a cold location? I am in Wisconsin so when the weather drops below 20 I start using mine but I had to bump up the range -- I use to keep it around 70 for the few hours everyone is home during the week but drop it to about 64 the only problem though is it seems the heat works twice as much to get the house back to temp. We have a 2 story colonial that is about 12 years old and has been recently reinsulated with blown in fiberglass last winter. Does anyone else have that problem?
Thanks, I looked at the web sites and will probably get a Honeywell.
-- J.S.
I've had programmable thermostats in three houses, all in cold climates. One was a 1000 square foot 1880's Queen Anne, one was a 2300 square foot very well insulated brand new house, and one is a 2400 square foot cheaply built spec home. I set it for 60°F during the day, 70° when occupied. It is timed to heat up about ½ hour before my alarm goes off in the morning then sets back about ½ hour before I leave for work. It comes on about ½ hour before arrival home, and down to 66° at night. Sometimes I like it warmer and kick it up manually to 72°. This has always worked for me, though the spec home is not well insulated and the living room is always 3 to 4° colder than the rest of the house in cold weather.
It does take time for the furnace to bring the house up to temperature, but half an hour is more than enough. You definitely save money setting the thermostat back even with the amount it takes to heat it back up.
Just because it has to "work twice as hard" does not mean that it has to use more energy.Yes, during the heat up time it has to supply both the amount of energy lost through the walls and the energy to raise the tempature of the house and room mass.But you get the later back on the other end.And the heat loss during the "cool" period is less than if you have kept it warm.The better Honeywells have adaptive setback. It figures out how long the furnace needs to run to change the tempature and adjust so that the tempature is at the programed tempatures, at the programed times.
Are the remote temperature sensors wired or wireless? I have some heating problems with the second floor, and I've contemplated changing the thermostat location. But a wireless remote sensor would be even better.
White-Rogers