If it gets colder than 20f outside, does your thermostat maintain the set temp?

[CorCentral]

Just curious on this........ I'll have more questions in the future.


I've heard Heat pump/AC type units have a hard time keeping a lvl temp in areas that have cold weather.

If it gets colder than 20f outside, can you maintain an easy 75f inside your home? Or does it never reach that 75f that you set your thermostat to and always read lower?

 

[Rubycon]

That temperature is below what's called the balance point. The loss of heat from the living space exceeds the unit's capacity to replace it. Supplementary heat is required - usually in the form of resistance heaters to make up the difference. If resistance heat is the only option the cost savings of heat pumps is quickly negated in cooler climates.

 

[vi edit]

Heat pumps max out around 37 degrees(external) in what they can regenerate and bring back into the home. The more it drops below that temp, the more you have to lean on more conventional heating methods to make up the difference.

Geothermal heating/cooling does not do well in extreme temperatures. They simply can't lose the heat or recharge the warmth fast enough once it goes outside of their efficiency range.

 

[CorCentral]

You guys are great......... That's why I like these forums so much!

How about EM heating? (Emergency Heating) Do Heat Pumps have this option?

 

[Rubycon]

Emergency heat is used when there is a failure in the outdoor unit. It runs the supplementary heat ONLY. The air is hotter but so is the power bill!

 

[CorCentral]

1--- So no matter the "Efficiency or Cost" of a Heat Pump...... the under 37f rule still applies?

2--- No matter how well your home is insulated?

 

[Rubycon]

The actual temperature depends on the design of the heat pump. Insulation retards the rate of loss but too much is a bad thing. Houses could be made airtight but then the environmental support system would cost millions of dollars and if it messes up you would die.

 

[CorCentral]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
The actual temperature depends on the design of the heat pump. Insulation retards the rate of loss but too much is a bad thing. Houses could be made airtight but then the environmental support system would cost millions of dollars and if it messes up you would die.

Yours and vi_edit's points are perfectly sound .........

So, what's the best all around sys. for Heating and Cooling? I suppose it's not a Heat Pump if you live in TN.

Need Suggestions please.

 

[GenHoth]

It's -16 here! And you're worried about 20?!

 

[OdiN]

Why the hell would you set a thermostat to 75° in the winter? Why would you want it so hot?

Mine is set at 60° max.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Why the hell would you set a thermostat to 75° in the winter? Why would you want it so hot?

Mine is set at 60° max.

neurological issues (at least that is why mine is warmer than 70F)

 

[CorCentral]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Why the hell would you set a thermostat to 75° in the winter? Why would you want it so hot?

Mine is set at 60° max.

I like it warm!
That's not the point of this thread though, but I like to feel the tips of my fingers while typing! At 60f............ Screw that! It's 76f in my computer room only because of the monitor and reciever's help.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: CorCentral

Originally posted by: OdiN
Why the hell would you set a thermostat to 75° in the winter? Why would you want it so hot?

Mine is set at 60° max.

I like it warm!
That's not the point of this thread though, but I like to feel the tips of my fingers while typing! At 60f............ Screw that! It's 76f in my computer room only because of the monitor and reciever's help.

60° really isn't very cold.

If you live in a place which gets really cold and your only option is gas for heating, you'd turn the temp down a bit I bet

I just like it cooler though :shrug:

 

[jlee]

I keep it at 68* here. There's no way I'd put it up to 75 with heating oil at $3.22/gallon! At 68f, that's 85 degrees warmer than outside, so I can't complain.

 

[CorCentral]

Screw the money though. I only pay $120/avg/mth. Highest bill was $150. when I had 4 relatives over for a couple weeks.

I do turn it to 68f when I go to bed though. As soon as I wake up, it's back at 74f MIN.!

 

[OUCaptain]

Hell yeah it will. Clean burnin Propane. It'll make it 90F if you want it.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: CorCentral
Screw the money though. I only pay $120/avg/mth. Highest bill was $150. when I had 4 relatives over for a couple weeks.

I do turn it to 68f when I go to bed though. As soon as I wake up, it's back at 74f MIN.!

Well...in some places that could cost you $300, $500 or even more per month.

 

[gnumantsc]

For your info about heat pump you do need another source as it will not be that useful for heating like the other people said. It is a -12F here in Montreal and you do need another source of heat as it will only help to a certain point. If you got natural gas it is much cheaper than going with heating oil as natural gas is like $7 while we are paying for heating oil $3.36/gallon.

With our new oil furnace the heat is so hot we keep it between 66-68F during the day. With the old one it was like 72F since it did not blow that much hot air to feel it.

 

[Anubis]

who the fuck sets their indoor temp at 75!

thats way to fing hot

66-68 and put on a long sleeve shirt if you are still cold

 

[trmiv]

We have a heat pump with aux heat. Today with it 18 when I woke up the aux heat was on because the heat pump couldn't keep up. I keep our thermostat at 71 when we're home, 62 when we're away, and 63 at night when we're sleeping. I don't know how you can keep it at OdiN, that's just frigging cold for an indoor temp.

Heat pumps take some getting used to if you're not familiar with how they work. Before I moved to NC I had never lived in a house with a heat pump, so I was always used to feeling the hot air from the furnace when the heat came on. With a heat pump the air will be just barely above the room temp when it comes on if it only has to heat the room a few degrees. So the air feels kinda cool when it comes on, and if it's blowing on you can feel chilly.

I'd actually much rather keep our temps close to the same all the time so the aux heat doesn't have to turn on to warm the house from 62 to 71, but 71 is just too hot upstairs when we're sleeping, although it's perfect downstairs.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

It is 18f here, and the heat pump in my basement,(1800sq), is having no trouble keeping the temp at 65f.

 

[Kelemvor]

75 degrees?!? Jesus. We set ours at 68 and are fine. My wife's parent's house is at like 73 and we die when we go over there.

Most of it depends on how well the house is insulated. Windows, doors, attic, etc.

 

[FoBoT]

i have a ground source heat pump and it did ok last night when it got down to 9F

i have a propane fireplace that i often use when it dips below ~20F , but i haven't gotten it filled since last year yet, so i don't know how much is in it. and that is my emergency backup if we lose power, so i haven't been using it yet this winter

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Why the hell would you set a thermostat to 75° in the winter? Why would you want it so hot?

Mine is set at 60° max.

60 is way too cold for warm blooded creatures, especially those with young children. I keep mine @ 68-74 depending on the time of day. Thats borderline too cold as well.

 

[Hoober]

I had a heat pump put in this past summer instead of a traditional A/C unit. We didn't rip out the traditional natural gas-fired furnace, though. There's a thermostat on the heat pump that signals the control board the outdoor air temperature. If it's below 40 degrees F, the control board uses the furnace to satisfy calls for heat. Otherwise, it uses the heat pump.