I'm a homeowner now

[notposting]

A conventional programmable thermostat will likely save nearly as much money for a paltry sum in comparison.

Pfft. Until 10 minutes into poking at tiny buttons and an inscrutable LCD calculator display, when the OP says F it and leaves it with whatever he has the settings currently set for. Later, when he makes a temporary adjustment and 3 weeks later realizes his setting has been 4 degrees cooler ever since he had that party.

In contrast, a smart thermostat doesn't have 5+2 or 5+1+1 or similar restrictions, can be changed quickly and often as you lock in your scheduling, will actually learn your house+hvac+weather, and kick in when needed to get to the desired temp at the desired time.

Or, keep using the VCR which will flash 12:00 and record at 7pm regardless of whether the show schedule changed.

(Oh, 15 months of recorded data is incredibly useful as well.)

 

[Eug]

Pfft. Until 10 minutes into poking at tiny buttons and an inscrutable LCD calculator display, when the OP says F it and leaves it with whatever he has the settings currently set for. Later, when he makes a temporary adjustment and 3 weeks later realizes his setting has been 4 degrees cooler ever since he had that party.

In contrast, a smart thermostat doesn't have 5+2 or 5+1+1 or similar restrictions, can be changed quickly and often as you lock in your scheduling, will actually learn your house+hvac+weather, and kick in when needed to get to the desired temp at the desired time.

Or, keep using the VCR which will flash 12:00 and record at 7pm regardless of whether the show schedule changed.

(Oh, 15 months of recorded data is incredibly useful as well.)

If you can use a smartphone, you can definitely program a thermostat.

BTW, the automatic recording for PVRs for TV shows often works less reliably than simply programming in the time yourself, at least with my cable company, so that was a terrible example to support your argument IMO.

 

[notposting]

Been awhile, but I was looking for info at the time, a lot of utilities are pushing the smart thermostats as a free/discounted item for their customers because they actually work/get used. (They actually have the numbers/studies on this.)

The programmable ones are simply not user friendly, don't get programmed properly as a result, and the savings aren't there.

 

[notposting]

If you use a smartphone, you can definitely program a thermostat.

BTW, the automatic recording for PVRs for TV shows often works less reliably than simply programming in the time yourself, at least with my cable company, so that was a terrible example to support your argument IMO.

Cable company DVR = programmable tstat
Windows Media Center = smart tstat

Roku/AppleTV/FireTV = scheduling?

 

[Muse]

I have an AC in my bedroom, but rarely turn it on. At night, I close the door and turn on a switch next to my bed that activates a couple of 12" silent computer fans mounted into a panel on one of the windows. That draws in the cool night air. 98% of the time, that's sufficient. It's probably hotter where you live.

Yeah, I own my house too... congrats!

 

[Eug]

Been awhile, but I was looking for info at the time, a lot of utilities are pushing the smart thermostats as a free/discounted item for their customers because they actually work/get used. (They actually have the numbers/studies on this.)

The programmable ones are simply not user friendly, don't get programmed properly as a result, and the savings aren't there.

Around here, the utilities are providing free hi-tech thermostats... because they get control of the thermostats. That way they can shut off your AC for periods during the day, during peak usage periods.

Uh, no thanks. The whole point of having AC is so you can turn it on on the hottest days. I don't want my utility shutting it off those days, even if just for short periods.

 

[NoCreativity]

Around here, the utilities are providing free hi-tech thermostats... because they get control of the thermostats. That way they can shut off your AC for periods during the day, during peak usage periods.

Uh, no thanks. The whole point of having AC is so you can turn it on on the hottest days. I don't want my utility shutting it off those days, even if just for short periods.

I had that at my old house. It wasn't bad. Something like no more than 15 minutes per hour and no more than 2 hours total in a 12 hour period. I rarely noticed they had shut it down too.

But they charged additional fees for the service and even though the rate was cheaper I realized it didn't really save me any money since we have a pretty short AC season here.

 

[Eug]

It's only 20 minutes per hour here, but my neighbour who has it says he definitely noticed the difference. However, he didn't mind that because he got a $250 thermostat for free.

 

[WackyDan]

not sure if closing vents really helps to reduce energy costs/waste... a lot of places claim it puts strain on the HVAC system and decreases its operating efficiency

http://www.angieslist.com/articles/does-shutting-furnace-vents-improve-energy-efficiency.htm

THIS.

Do not close the vents all the way. You'll be creating more back pressure and load on the main blower. Your savings for closing the vents will be minimal anyway.

 

[Eug]

The main reason to closing vents is to compensate for an imbalanced system. Having dampers is better and having a properly balanced system is even better, but we all know that for most homes, the HVAC balancing is poor.

 

[SP33Demon]

It's only 20 minutes per hour here, but my neighbour who has it says he definitely noticed the difference. However, he didn't mind that because he got a $250 thermostat for free.

Yeah the guy who owned the home before me said sometimes his electric company would shut it down for 4 hours at a time in the summer and they'd be roasting. F that.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Home Depot and Lowe's will be happy to see you more often.

Ahaha this is so true, I've been to the store so many times for so many things for projects since I moved into my place back in November. And it will continue as I (slowly, as budget allows) work on updating the place. Latest has been new furnace that I have done 95% myself (dual stage heat pump with dual stage propane gas furnace for aux when it gets really cold).

Wouldn't trade it for renting again. Rented 3 years, it sucked. My mortgage + property taxes is less than I paid in rent for a place 1/3 the size, without a garage, without land, etc.

 

[Eug]

I remember when I was in my townhouse, I'd drive to Home Depot at 3 am just so I could finish a project I'd been doing, like painting the hallways or whatever. I painted the entire interior of that 1000+ square foot townhouse myself, 3 coats.

Now that I'm no longer short on cash, I will never, ever do that again.

 

[rh71]

Home Depot and Lowes... yup - get the Lowes coupon in the mover's packet at the post office - it's behind their counter. You have to register them now before they send you a code. It used to be a postcard with a scannable code in each packet and we took so much advantage of it by asking for a lot over time. Now you'll have to consolidate your buying since it's limited by... well however many believable email addresses you have. Has saved us thousands.

 

[rh71]

The main reason to closing vents is to compensate for an imbalanced system. Having dampers is better and having a properly balanced system is even better, but we all know that for most homes, the HVAC balancing is poor.

The warmest room on my 1st floor is my office with a 24/7 PC in it and of course it's at the end of the run. I've tried playing with dampers up in the attic to no avail.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Congrats! I think I'm about a year off before I aggressively look for a place to buy. Can't wait to get out of the place I'm at now.

 

[hellfire88]

Congrats OP! I'm in the middle of finalizing my finances to close on a home myself! We're moving from a small apartment so will definitely enjoy the extra space. Not having any shared walls will also be amazing.

My rule is that Wi-Fi is only for items that are meant to be moved often (e.g. laptops, smartphones, etc.). HTPCs, PCs, and such are all run off Ethernet. Although, I still have to properly run my wires through the wall and then do all the speaker wire as well. Right now, I've got wires running through the hallways and such, which looks a bit garish, but it works.

I'm also switching to in-wall speakers and wall-mounting my TVs to go for a cleaner look. It'll be a slight degradation in sound compared to my existing floor-standing speakers, but it should be fine.

I've been adding about a billion project ideas to my "list", which gets worse whenever I notice how the original owner cheaped out on something. I'm always really timid when I feel like I'm invading someone's personal space, which made my home buying worse because the homeowner hadn't moved out yet. So, I wasn't nearly as willing to just dig into every nook and cranny. Oh, and if the person hasn't moved out yet, mandate cleaning in your contract. It was pretty disgusting when I went to use the shower after finally getting everything moved in, and I found hair and grime all around. D:

Also, if there's a pool, mandate that the chemical levels be set to standard levels. Pool companies are lazy bastards and jack up the stabilizer to keep the chlorine from fading (caused by UV rays), but high amounts of chemicals are often much harder to manage. To give you an idea, stabilizer (cyanuric acid) is often kept between 30-60 ppm, and mine was at 300 ppm. Reducing that down to the current 40 ppm took five 1-foot drain and refills over the course of five days. It was not fun and not free. I'm currently fixing high Total Alkalinity, which requires you to drop the pH to 7.0-7.2 and aerate the pool while it raises back up to about 7.6. It still takes a while as it normally only drops around 10 ppm at a time, and I'd like to go from 130 ppm to about 80 ppm. (I'm currently at 120 ppm )

Ultimately, I guess the best advice is never expect the current homeowner to "do the right thing" (such as cleaning). If you want it done, put it in writing.

Thanks for the pool information, good stuff. Our new home has a pool as well (although we weren't really looking for one). Do you find that you guys even use it that much? I hear pools are serious money pits, but we liked the rest of the house so moved forward with the purchase.

 

[cabri]

Pools can be money pits, depending on how well maintained they are.

I had a place outside the Everglades for 8 years.
Replaced the pump.
Used the diatomic earth filter; replaced the wheels (5) in it twice.
Purchased a pool cleaner robot
Replaced the flapper
Replaced the filter hose
Replaced the scoop.

Pool had a screen enclosure. - Replaced 1 overhead (PAIN!) and 2 side panels (damage due to Hurricane Andrew)

When I sold the place, the pool was going to need a resurfacing within 3 years.

Kids used it 8-9 months a year - was not heated.

 

[Eug]

My two neighbours with pools filled them in years ago. Money pits and time sucks.

In Canada the pool season is short too, so for many up here, they're considered a negative when people are looking at homes to buy.

 

[hellfire88]

My two neighbours with pools filled them in years ago. Money pits and time sucks.

In Canada the pool season is short too, so for many up here, they're considered a negative when people are looking at homes to buy.

Yea, I'm in the NorthEast so the pool season is like what, 3-4 months per year? I would never put in a pool in my home if it didn't already have one. Like you said, some people around here may view a home having a pool as a negative. I figure since the home already has a pool, I can enjoy it for a bit. If it becomes too much of a money pit, we can fill it in (~$12k or so? Versus ~$22k to put in a decent pool around here).

 

[JM Aggie08]

Home ownership is a blast.

2 months ago, we had lightning strike a tree in our backyard, sending the top 7ft of it over our chimney and onto our roof. The result? 2 18" holes through the shingles and decking. Another piece (4 ft.), which we presume was an original chunk of the main branch, ended up IN THE ATTIC. We found it just sitting on top of the insulation/dry-wall..

Long story short, took forever for the insurance company to get things settled. Once they did, they wanted to replace entirely too much roofing/dry-wall. We ended up just doing a cash deal to have the roof repaired...which finally happened yesterday.

Aside from that, I would never go back to renting. I enjoy having my own castle.