Why, today, do we still have heat/cool thermostats?

[KenJongIll]

Why the fuck can't I just name a temp I want without making a choice. My time is too precious.

[iceman]

You can, with heatpumps at least. Any kind of forced air system with heating and cooling should be able to do that. If they're completely separate systems it could get dicey.

[MakersTeleMark]

$20 gets you a digital programmable thermostat. I swapped mine in my camper and was way more accurate and efficient.

[mobygrape]

in vehicles? Those have existed for eons. Not sure why they never caught on, with all of the other useless wonders as standard equipment on cars these days...

[old goat]

If you're talking about a house and you set it for 65 in the winter and 78 in the summer, how's the thing supposed to figure out if you want it heated to 65 and cooled to 70, or visa versa? I suppose someone could figure out a way, but programming that would likely be more difficult than just having separate heat/cool settings. Now if you always set the temp the same no matter the season . . .

[Flyoverland Captive]

https://nest.com/thermostat/life-with-nest-thermostat/

Simple.

[gravitylover]

This is something to complain about? First world...

[gretch6364]

The issue is more that you would need a range, at least in a house. Heating a cooling a house to within 1 degree and keeping there is difficult. It would not be very energy efficient. Your heater would run to get it to 68, and then if it creeped over to 69, your AC would kick on, and it would inevitably put it at 67, and then your heater would kick back on.

I would say a 5 degree range would suffice, but in the winter, our place heats up from the people above and below, and I wouldn't really want the AC cooling things down when it is 10 degrees out.

[iceman]

Not sure what moby grape is talking about up there ^^^ about this kind of thermostat not being in vehicles, it's what's in my car and I can't recall being in a late-model car where you don't just pick a temperature and forget about it.

[Slappified]

The issue is more that you would need a range, at least in a house. Heating a cooling a house to within 1 degree and keeping there is difficult. It would not be very energy efficient. Your heater would run to get it to 68, and then if it creeped over to 69, your AC would kick on, and it would inevitably put it at 67, and then your heater would kick back on.

I would say a 5 degree range would suffice, but in the winter, our place heats up from the people above and below, and I wouldn't really want the AC cooling things down when it is 10 degrees out.

I have a thermostat that does that. Its a Honeywell and it has a 3 degree range, but thats adjustable. Its great here in the south where it gets in the 30s at night and 70s during the day.

[Hugh Conway]

"technology, how the fuck does it work, edition #89468"

[cinnepa]

This is something to complain about? First world...

and there is another thread for this.

[Timberridge]

Your car's temp is regulated by a series of blend doors that shuttle back and forth to adjust temps. The heat, if it's a combustion engine, is basically always on via the heating core and does not kick on and off to regulate the temp, unlike the a/c. A house would need a similar system of blend doors and always on heat. Unfortunately, unlike a car, heat in a house is not free.

[bigdude2468]

https://nest.com/thermostat/life-with-nest-thermostat/

Simple.

Just installed a Nest, super easy, works great and you can schedule from your lap top, IPad or smart phone. It can have as many setpoints as you want. Check it anytime from anywhere and change the setting remotely. Great for when we are gone and turning the heat up before arriving home. We are gone for extended period in the winter. Check what the temperature is in the house to be sure the furnace is working properly.

[Danno]

Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one.

We have a programmable thermostat, but like the OP, we have to switch between heat and cool. And in shoulder seasons like now, to keep the wife and kid at their desired temp, we have to run the AC in the evening but the heat in the morning. And manually switch between the two. And god help me if I forget or get it wrong.

Would love to have something that would do this for me, but there are a zillion options out there. Would prefer to do it cheaply, but I can see how wifi access would be helpful. Any reviews of nest or other options out there to guide me?

[iceman]

Your car's temp is regulated by a series of blend doors that shuttle back and forth to adjust temps. The heat, if it's a combustion engine, is basically always on via the heating core and does not kick on and off to regulate the temp, unlike the a/c. A house would need a similar system of blend doors and always on heat. Unfortunately, unlike a car, heat in a house is not free.

I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and say this was a joke.

[iceman]

Danno, what do you heat and cool with? Not that it really matters, you can do it with any programmable thermostat made for it, like this one: https://www.target.com/p/honeywell-h...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

But f you want to spend more have at it. You can get all kinds of additional features/programming options on more expensive ones.

[Danno]

What do we heat and cool with, not sure what you mean? Gas forced air Lennox furnace, Lennox central AC?

I just did some research and it appears that we don't have a C wire, which means either installing one or buying one of the few that don't require it. The Nest is one, but reading reviews it sounds like that sometimes has issues. Also, reviews say you can't run the fan without running heat or ac, and that's a dealbreaker. I also read it doesn't show the actual temp, only the current setting, which would annoy the fuck out of me.

So I need to get a C wire, which might make this whole thing not worth it.

[irul&ublo]

Non heat pump systems, are ver typically electric for a/c and gas for heat. Two different power sources, I think that may be why you switch. And BTW, I just switched out a piece of shit fancy ass programmable thermostat for one that that simply sets upper and lower temps. Guy doing it laughed about how many programmable and smart thermostats he’s replaced with vanilla versions

[Nobody Famous]

What do we heat and cool with, not sure what you mean? Gas forced air Lennox furnace, Lennox central AC?

I just did some research and it appears that we don't have a C wire, which means either installing one or buying one of the few that don't require it. The Nest is one, but reading reviews it sounds like that sometimes has issues. Also, reviews say you can't run the fan without running heat or ac, and that's a dealbreaker. I also read it doesn't show the actual temp, only the current setting, which would annoy the fuck out of me.

So I need to get a C wire, which might make this whole thing not worth it.

Get two or three good HVAC contractors to give an estimate. Tell them what you want to do -- a thermostat that auto switches between heat and cool -- and they'll quote you options.

Based on what you said job should be cost of thermostat, $100-200 (color touch screen and wifi?) plus labor an hour or two at most, and running a C wire. Provided your equipment supports a C wire.

Agree with the above comment simple thermostats serve a purpose. Get one with only the features you want (learning ability doesn't fit with what you said). Being able to access thermostat from your smartphone or browser is very handy, vacation mode is also very useful. Honeywell has a good range of models, they do not try to be bleeding edge and very good support for dealer network and DIYers.

[old goat]

Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one.

We have a programmable thermostat, but like the OP, we have to switch between heat and cool. And in shoulder seasons like now, to keep the wife and kid at their desired temp, we have to run the AC in the evening but the heat in the morning. And manually switch between the two. And god help me if I forget or get it wrong.

Would love to have something that would do this for me, but there are a zillion options out there. Would prefer to do it cheaply, but I can see how wifi access would be helpful. Any reviews of nest or other options out there to guide me?

might be easier to get a tougher wife and kid

[zion zig zag]

might be easier to get a tougher wife and kid

I just looked at the 10 day forecast for Boulder; teach your family to manage the windows and screen door.

But yeah, I get it, I often come home to find the back door wide open when it's 90 degrees outside because "she wanted some fresh air."

[AK47bp]

Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one.

We have a programmable thermostat, but like the OP, we have to switch between heat and cool. And in shoulder seasons like now, to keep the wife and kid at their desired temp, we have to run the AC in the evening but the heat in the morning. And manually switch between the two. And god help me if I forget or get it wrong.

Would love to have something that would do this for me, but there are a zillion options out there. Would prefer to do it cheaply, but I can see how wifi access would be helpful. Any reviews of nest or other options out there to guide me?

Ecobee.

Works perfect. I was in the same situation. has a separate fan setting for air circulation too that runs separate from heat and cool. Has and auto function that runs heat and cold based on temp settings.

The app is awesome too.

I got the simple one that doesn’t listen to your thoughts.




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[basinbeater]

We have a nest that can do all that stuff and run the fan without running heat or ac. It does show current temp, and you can get little sensor pucks to out around the house so the temp is set per the area where the sensor is based on time. Always together in the kitchen at x time, use kitchen sensor to set time. I use a sensor in the living room in the winter as it warms up nicely from the sun, and uses the sensor to set temp, so the living room is the right temp, and the rest of the house a little cooler. Saves money. Wife is focused on the number, so I use the sensor that is most efficient for given temp number want, (actual temperature be damned.). Example, in the winter she wants 72, so use sensor that sits in solar heated area to allow her to have the high number, save money. In summer, put the sensor in a naturally cooler spot and let her set it at 68. Will read 68 when most of the house is closer to 72. Save money.

sent from Utah.

[old goat]

I just looked at the 10 day forecast for Boulder; teach your family to manage the windows and screen door.

But yeah, I get it, I often come home to find the back door wide open when it's 90 degrees outside because "she wanted some fresh air."

My wife leaves the ceiling fans running when she's out of the room to cool the room down.
If she's cold she sets the thermostat at 85 to heat the house faster. (Actually, with our two stage furnace setting the thermostat high would kick in the second stage right away but she was doing this with the old one stage furnace too.)

About all those smart thermostats--do they solve the problem of heating and cooling to different temps--so that the temperature range might be 65 to 78. If the house is below 65 it heats to 65, if it's above 78 it cools to 78, and if it's between 65 and 78 it neither heats nor cools?