how low do you set your thermostat at night?

[Alf_Rocks]

Winter: 66 when we are home during the day. 63 at night.

Summer: 70 during the day (when someone is at home). 65 at night.

Fall/Spring: We don't really use heat/AC.

[beckycat]

Does anyone have the problem of the upstairs getting too hot and downstairs is still too cold? We put our thermostat on 68 and upstairs is toasty, but downstairs is still too cold. The builder said that wouldn't happen b/c I brought it to his attention. Sure enough, it happens.

I heard if you have 2 HVAC units, that will help with that. I only have one, so any suggestions with fixing this situation?

BTW, my house is only 1600 sq ft.

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by brooks2007

I love a roaring fire as much as the next guy or gal, but was amazed to watch an old episode (12/2004) of Mythbusters and learn that it actually reduces the temperature inside the rest of the house.

I don't sit around and analyze the impact our fireplace has, we use it because we like it, but if we thought we were helping to heat the house... we were wrong!

We feel the heat from the fire, but it has to pull air from the rest of the house in order to burn and it does not heat all of the air so creates a vacuum so that to supply it cold air is pulled into the house (or something more scientific than that ). Anyway - myth was "confirmed" and stated that a fireplace makes the area outside of the warm zone colder (they said 1.5 Celcius, but that converted to 34.7 degrees Farenheit and that seems extreme!).

So... long story short is putting on a fire may warm those in the immediate vicinity, but it is cooling the rest of the house. Fascinating!

WOW! I wonder how you solve that situation. I wonder if you have a blower, it helps.