There is more to comfort than just the air temperature. A prolonged set
back will lower the temperature of literally tons of building materials
& house contents. It takes a long time to bring this thermal mass back
up to temp. Any exposed body surfaces will radiate heat to colder
surfaces. "People" will radiate heat to these colder surfaces even when
the air temperature is up. I guess you can wear a sweater, hat, & gloves
in the house to compensate.
Dave Russell
Karl Vacek wrote:
> Similarly off-topic. I've long wondered why residential HVAC systems
> don't have more sophisticated controls like commercial systems -
> thermostats that check the outdoor temperature and compensate
> accordingly. For instance, with a big old house in the frozen north,
> you have to push the thermostat up a little as it gets colder outside
> to compensate for the greater heat loss, and conversely on a warm day
> you tend to get a little hot if you don't drop the thermostat a bit.
> Similar needs in AC weather too.
>
> Karl
|