Dave & M wrote:
>
> 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.
>
Well, all that depends upon heat loss (Z factor) through the materials.
The purpose of insulation is to slow that rate (which is why it's always
more economical to put money into insulation than fuel, and more
economical still to put insulation on the outside of the thermal mass,
if possible).
But, this is a bit of physiology that's been known for a long time that
relates to air temperature--your feet are your body's thermostats. If
your feet are cold, even if air temp is normal, you're going to feel
chilly. When buildings were mostly made of stone, someone invented
carpets. :) (Old castles in England in the 10th-12th centuries used
woven reed mats to keep feet off all that cold stone.) When considering
comfort, air temperature can generally be a bit lower if your feet are
toasty. !
Cheers.
--
Michael D. Porter
Roswell, NM
Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....
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